When All is Said and Done
by ArtemisEmerald
Summary: Greg's life took a hard right turn his last year of college. Now, well into his second year at the Las Vegas crime lab, it is about to take another. Will it be for the better or take a dive for the worst? SLASH NxG!
1. Prologue

**Title:** When All is Said and Done

**Rating:** M

**Warnings: **SLASH (NO LIKE NO READ)

**Pairings: **Nick/Greg, established Warrick/Catherine, hinted pre-GSR

**Disclaimer:** I so don't own CSI. If only I did...

**Summary:** Greg's life took a hard right turn his last year of college. Now, well into his second year at the Las Vegas crime lab, it is about to take another. Will it be for the better or take a dive for the worst?

**PLEASE READ! IMPORTANT INFORMATION GIVEN**

**This story is a mix of ****a/u and cannon****. There will also be times of OOC for the characters. One thing many of you will pick up on is that the cannon scenes used will not always fit in with the shows seasonal time line. **_**This was intentional**_**. I stretched the seasons, so season three runs from June 2002 through May of 2003 instead of September through May. Which means one season equals one full calender year, approximately. **

**The scene separations in each chapter can be a separation of ****either**** hours or days, depending on the chapter. You will pretty much know which it is as you read. This is a ****warning****of the jumps that will take place**.

**Greg's house is identical to one found on a floor plans website which includes pictures. It's not imperative that you look, but it helps. The link is on my bio page.**

Also, I want to give credit where credit is due. This was written with a very good friend, who helped me come up with ideas for this and put up with my whining. We even rp'd a scene in here, as my Grissom voice is rather weak, and she wrote a small section for me. So, Felena1971, I am co-dedicating this story to you. Also, to Jess, who read various scenes for me with the threat of food at stake (always a problem for a college student) and to Myriah, who's never even watched CSI but still read sections for me. To the brilliant Alyjude, who, with her blessing, allowed me to take inspiration from parts of her fabulous 'Jake' series from another fandom. Which is not to say this is based on her story, as it's not, but a few of the scenes are a reflection of her work. Finally, Austin, who was as much a help as anyone, though he will probably never read this. Love you little man.

I hope you all enjoy this story, which took quite a few months to write and interrupted my other stories in the process. This is complete so waiting for chapters won't go beyond weekly posts. Hopefully. This has been beta'd. Any mistakes left are my own. Oh, and later chapters will be longer.

**ENJOY**

* * *

Prologue 

December 1998/ April 1999

* * *

Greg strapped his board to the roof of his car and waved to a couple of his friends as they pulled out of the parking lot. Once he was sure the board was secure, he popped open the back door and grabbed out a pair of sweatpants and a zip up sweater. He hung them over the door and wiped himself down with a towel before tossing that into the backseat and pulling the sweatpants up over his wet suit. He was only an hour or so from home, given traffic, so he decided to forgo the beaches public showers and just take one when he got to his parents house. 

He peeled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, taking the scenic route to San Francisco instead of detouring the extra half an hour back up towards the college. He blared his music and set the cruise control, allowing both feet to start tapping along to the heavy beat of the song as he drove.

Greg pulled up outside his parent's house about forty five minutes later and turned the car off, making sure to set the emergency break. He would have parked in the driveway, but both of his parents cars were out of the garage. He grabbed his duffel from the seat next to him and climbed out. Greg started up the stairs to the front door but paused to give the neighbor's cat, who was sitting on his mom's planter box, a once over, "Sorry Rex." He muttered as he unlocked the front door, "Left my allergy med's at the apartment."

He ignored the tabby cat's cry and went inside, stopping at his room to drop the bag before going upstairs to the main floor, "Hello? I'm home." He called out.

He didn't hear anything in reply, but he was sure his parents were home. They said they would be and the cars were pretty much an indication of that. He walked down to the living room, running his fingers over the soft needles of the Christmas tree as he passed it.

He didn't see his mom or dad on the deck so he turned back around and went up to the third floor. He paused at the top of the stairs and looked around, not seeing them in the 'play' room. They weren't out on that floor's patio either and he was about to turn around to go back downstairs when he heard a sob from the room his aunt and uncle used when they visited.

Concerned, as they usually didn't arrive until a week after he got home, he walked over to the door and tapped at it lightly. The crying stopped at his knock, but then the door flew open. His mom was standing there in jeans and a sweater, her hair pulled up into a haphazard ponytail and her face was streaked with tears, "Mom?" He asked, voice cracking with fear.

"Oh sweetie." She pulled him into her arms and rested her forehead against his collar bone, tears starting anew and soaking his jacket.

"Mom, what's going on?" He asked, patting her back, "It's, oh God, it's not nana or papa is it?"

"No, no, they're fine." Jan sniffed and pulled away to look up at her only son's face. She reached a hand up and brushed a still slightly damp curl off of his forehead, "It's Aunt Sabine and Uncle Rick." She stepped away from him and led him to one of the stools sitting in front of the arced bar, "There was a robbery...out in New York."

Greg stared at her, not fully comprehending what it was she was saying, "Mom?"

"The robbers, they didn't know that they were there. Your aunt and uncle, I'm afraid they didn't make it."

* * *

Greg tugged at his tie and stared up at the ceiling of the lawyers office. He wasn't sure why his parents had dragged him along to the meeting, but here he was. Not that it mattered much. His vacations were spent almost completely with his parents, as the few friends that he had, went home to their own parents and families. 

"Greg?" Greg looked over at his mom, not lifting his head from the back of the chair, "You need to come in here, sweetie."

He sighed and stood up, straightening his jacket and smoothing down the polka-dotted tie his uncle had given him years ago. He followed his mom into the interior office and sat down in the seat she pointed too, which was oddly enough, the one next to his father in front of the desk. Dave reached over and squeezed his shoulder but didn't say anything. He hadn't said much of anything since his brother and sister-in-laws death two weeks prior.

"Well, Greg, I'll get right to it. Your aunt and uncle left you a considerable fortune. Both of the houses, the one in Las Vegas and the one in New York, as well as most of their monetary assets. They've also set up large trust funds for any future children you should have." Malcolm Warner looked at Greg over his horn-rim glasses and smiled, "They also stated that should you not have any children, the money from the trust funds, upon your death, is to be given to any charities of your choice."

Dave let out a soft laugh, "That's my brother. Always thinking ahead."

"Yes. It was a worry to him that Greg would not have kids, given his own lack of them and the fact you only had one child." Malcolm turned back to Greg, "The properties are yours to do with as you wish. Both homes are paid for in full and the Las Vegas property is being watched over by Sabine's sister and her husband."

"Why isn't Aunt Rayne getting the house?" Greg asked, "Or even Lauren?" His 'pseudo' cousin was their niece, even if it was on Aunt Sabine's side, and it didn't feel right that he was getting more than her.

"Sabine had talked to Rayne around the time she and Rick started working on their will. Rayne refused to take it and Lauren informed them that she didn't want such a large place." Malcolm straightened the papers in front of him and clasped his hands, "This was all very thought out and agonized over. Rayne and her daughter are getting what they wanted, plus a bit more than that so don't worry about them."

Greg looked down and bit his lip, "I don't want to keep the New York house. It'd just be too much. I mean, what would I need with two properties? Besides, they were killed there. I couldn't..." He took a deep breath and looked up at Malcolm, "I'm not sure about the Vegas house but I want to sell the townhouse."

Malcolm nodded, "I figured as much. The market in New York is incredibly high right now, so you can expect to garner at least a high six figure tag on it, if not more due to its location within the city."

"What do I have to do?"

* * *

Greg grunted as he hauled the last box to the elevator. It had taken his dad months to decide on when to empty his aunt and uncles bedroom and then they had to work around Greg's school schedule. His labs were done for the year, as most of the classes were prepping for the exams at the beginning of the month. He had studied his heart out over the weekend and decided that missing the extra study time to drive home and help his dad wouldn't hurt him. In fact, it was kind of like a nice mini-vacation, even if he was doing physical work. He was still wondering what prompted him to stay and take post-graduate courses for_ two years_, but he had definitely decided that two was enough. 

He punched the button for the first floor, needing to get to his room and shower. He had spilled his aunts perfume, a very flowery cologne, all over his shirt and shorts and his eyes were beginning to water from the smell. He stepped out of the elevator and went across the hall to his bedroom, stripping his shirt off in the process. He sneezed as it passed his head and went to throw it in the corner when his phone rang.

Confused, as his friends normally called his cell phone, he picked up the receiver, "Hello?"

"Hello, Gregory."

Greg frowned and scratched the bridge his nose, "Blythe?"

Blythe Stanfield had been his lab partner in biochemistry at the beginning of the year. She was a pretty girl, five foot seven in height with wavy, auburn hair and eyes that were an incredible hue of blue. She had extremely pale skin and an overabundance of freckles, but they just added to her attractiveness instead of detracting from it. She had left school and transferred to Atlanta, Georgia over winter break, or so his friend Damon said. The man had had a huge crush on her, so if anyone would know it would be him.

Blythe was also the only person to call him Gregory. It had annoyed the crap out of him the first few weeks of lab until he had just given up and ignored it. She also was the only one to subtly insult his hair and clothing styles, as well as his taste in music during the few study 'dates' they had had. It was during the first of those study dates that the two of them had gotten drunk off their asses, the only way at the time they figured they could handle being around one another outside of labs. It was also one of the few times Greg had actually downed alcohol. He still had no idea what happened that night, but when he awoke the following morning, the room had smelled like burning sage .

"Yes. I'm afraid I have some news for you."

* * *

TBC... 

A/N: So? What did you all think? Feel free to let me know! Love it? Hate it? All opinions welcome!


	2. Chapter 1 April 2002

_Warnings and disclaimers in prologue...unless sex is to be had in which case there will be a warning at the beginning of the chapter...which won't be for awhile. **Enjoy!** Oh, and don't forget to review._

_Also, I was going to wait to post this...but I changed my mind. Don't always expect such quick posts. _

* * *

April, 2002 

----- ,-----

Greg shut the mudroom door behind him and sighed. What a long fucking shift. Mistake after mistake, from the bus driver to the collection of the alcohol bottle. He really shouldn't have gone out into the field at all, but he couldn't help it. It was almost like there was a string pulling him out to help, not that he had offered much. At least Nick had been good about it. 

"I'm home!" He called out as he kicked off his shoes.

His house was huge and it seemed that every room in the place had a door of some kind, but his father was an electronics expert and had installed an intercom system, which could carry everyones voice to any public area in the house, just after he had moved in. The plus side to the system was that he could turn down the volume so that someone could be heard only by yelling or he could even turn it off.

"Don't shout Greg." A soft voice chided through the door in front of him.

Greg rolled his eyes as he stepped into the kitchen, sighing deeply as the wonderful scent of his Blue Hawaiian infiltrated his sense of smell, "Rayne, you are a heaven sent angel." He said happily as she pressed a fresh mug into his hands.

The older women snorted and brushed a lock of silver hair out of her face, "A heaven sent angel who needs to get home."

"I don't see why you just won't move in here." Greg said, after taking a gulp of his coffee, "I could find another place for nana and papa to sleep."

"I've told you before and I'll probably tell you many times in the future. Mark likes simple living. This," She waved her hand to emphasis the entire house, "This is not simple." She grabbed her bag off the counter and kissed his cheek, "You're a good boy, but I also can't stand that atrocious music you listen to."

Greg's answering grin was a bit sheepish, "Yes, well...tell Mark that I said to keep you well rested this week. I've got three nights off, the party's on Sunday, and everyone is in town for the week after."

"It'll be well spent, even if your mother does drag me out shopping. Eli is still in bed. Give him a kiss for me and tell him we'll see him on Sunday." With that said, Rayne stepped out of the house the same way Greg had entered. Greg set his coffee on the island and followed her, but instead of heading back to the garage or outside, he went up the back stairs.

He walked through the gallery at the top and was heading around the circular landing when the doorbell rang. He groaned, realizing that it wasn't Rayne returning since she had her own key, and turned to the left instead of the right and went down the round, main staircase. He looked through the peephole in the door and raised both eyebrows in surprise when he saw who was on the other side.

"Nick?" He asked as he opened the door. He wondered briefly how Nick had even found out where he lived, but the thought was fleeting and already gone when Nick started speaking.

"Hey G. I ah, came to see how you were. You practically ran out of the lab after shift ended." Nick said, a bashful look on his face. Greg was always amused when the shy part of Nick made appearance, because at work, Nick had no nonsense type attitude. It made it seem like the Texan had a split personality sometimes.

He opened the door all the way and stepped back, allowing Nick entrance. He shut the door behind him and motioned for Nick to follow him to the kitchen, "I'm okay. A little ticked at myself still, but the initial embarrassment has worn off. You want some coffee? Or something to eat maybe?" he asked, deciding to change the subject. He really did not want to talk about all that had happened the night before.

"That would be great."

Greg looked over his shoulder and couldn't keep the smirk off his face as Nick took in the size of the rooms they passed, most of them decorated in leather and dark cherry wood.

"I, um, took you more for an apartment kind of guy. Like those fancy lofts and condos off the strip. Not...not this." Nick continued as he stopped at the entry to the family room, which was just beyond the kitchen at the back of the house.

The family room was definitely the showcase of the home, excluding Greg's bedroom that is. There were floor to ceiling windows with the cherry wood trim and a large, gray, stone fireplace that followed the wall all the way up to the ceiling, exposing some of the chimney. He had squared off the two tan leather couches and their matching chair around the fireplace with a square coffee table in between that matched the window trim as well as the fireplaces mantel. Along the short, diagonal wall that separated the room from the kitchen was a small table that held a plant that was out growing its planter. Just above, Nick could see a picture frame, but his position in the doorway didn't allow him to see what the picture was of.

"It was inherited. I was my uncles only nephew and my aunt's sister and niece didn't want it." Greg leaned on the circular pillar next to him, "It's part of why I moved here. Always loved visiting and couldn't find it in myself to sell it when the option arose."

Nick turned to face him, finally pulling his gaze from where had been staring, which was at the view through the large windows, "You'll have to give me a tour."

"I will in a bit. Let's get something to eat first, I'm starving." Greg turned and went into the kitchen. He headed for the far end of the rectangular room to where a stove was sitting under a large silver exhaust hood and pulled out a couple of pans, "Have a seat at the island. We don't really use the kitchen table."

Nick opened his mouth to ask where the 'we' came from as he pulled out one of the island stools. He was sufficiently cut off, however, as a wail of, "daaaaadyyyy." carried through the room.

Greg blushed a tomato red as Nick's now wide eyes flew to look at him, his eyebrows raised in shock. Clearing his throat, Greg stepped over to the intercom panel in the wall and pressed a little black button, "In the kitchen sproglet." He said, figuring Rayne had turned off the sound system when she heard him get home, as Elijah's voice had traveled from the staircase and not the intercom.

A small "k." floated back through after he let go of the button.

He went to the fridge and began digging through it, hoping to use it as an escape from any questions Nick might have at the moment. Both of them flirted with each other tremendously at work and he didn't really need his meager hopes of being with Nick crushed because he had a three-year-old son.

When a full minute passed without Nick saying anything, Greg became worried. He was getting a bit cold as well, so he stood up with the eggs, cheese, and a blue sippy cup in his hands before peeking around the fridge door. To say that he was surprised by what he saw would be a huge understatement. Nick was on his knees in front of his son and both of them were trying to stare the other one down.

Finally Elijah broke out into a huge grin and held out his hand, just like his grandpa taught him, "i eli."

Nick laughed and shook the hand offered, "I'm Nick. I work with your dad."

Elijah's eyes widened as he realized who was in front of him, "daddy 'ikes you!"

And here Greg thought that blushing so much was long in the past. Apparently, he was very much wrong when he felt the blush return with a vengeance, "I like everyone at work, sproglet. Let's get you in your booster before I give you your milk."

"k." Elijah scrambled up onto an island stool opposite the one Nick had pulled out for himself. He murmured his thanks as Greg handed him his milk and he wrapped both hands around his cup to take as big of a drink as he could through the spout.

Nick's smile grew, "Cute kid, G." He leaned against the counter next to the stove, where Greg was now scrambling up some eggs and bacon, "What's his full name? ...Where's his mom?"

Greg sighed and stabbed the spatula a bit harder than he needed to at the eggs as he added the cheese, "His full name is Elijah Henrik. Eli is just easier for him to say. And she's gone...didn't want him. Was putting him up for adoption but when I found out about it, I took her to court after finding out he was mine."

"That sucks. Here, why don't I do that before you ruin the pan." Nick took the spatula from Greg's tense fingers and nudged the lab-rat gently out of the way with his hip, "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"It's okay. It's been three years and my parents won't tell her where I am if she ever comes around looking. That's the other reason I moved out here. I got scared she would want him back and she wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world."

"I suppose that's understandable. These are done. Where...?" Nick pulled the pan of eggs off the burner and looked around.

"Oh, here." Greg pulled a platter from the cupboard he was standing by and Nick dumped the eggs out. Greg set the platter on the chopping block at their end of the island to cool as he started on the toast.

Nick flipped the bacon and looked at Elijah who was surprisingly quiet. The little red head was still sucking on his sippy cup and coloring in a small activities pad, "Who watches him when you work?"

Greg looked at Nick and thought he heard something in the Texans voice, and a memory niggled at the back of his mind about it but he decided it was something that didn't need to be pushed, "My uncles sister-in-law Rayne. They live in a small cabin down the road at the very edge of the property. Rayne's husband, Mark, is the one who takes care of the lawn mowing and calling in exterminators for the bugs and stuff every spring." He laughed as he buttered the first batch of toast, "I've been trying to get them to move up here to the main house since I got here, but Rayne won't hear of it. She blames Mark, but I think their cabin just has too many memories for her to leave."

"How do they get back and forth from here to their place? I didn't see anyone when I came up and it's a very open yard." Nick's face held a bewildered look as he started piling the finished bacon onto the egg platter.

"Oh, Mark watches the main road for me, which loops around the back of the property and then drives a golf cart up one of the paths to pick her up." Greg placed the last of the toast onto the large platter as well before going around to get plates and silverware.

He handed both piles to Nick and went about tugging Elijah's book away from him. Once that was accomplished and Nick started serving the food, Greg got two glasses down and went to the fridge, "Milk, orange juice, apple juice, or lemonade?"

"What kind of milk?" Nick asked, dropping into his seat.

"Um, two percent and skim."

"Two percent please."

Greg handed him his glass and went around the table to sit down next to Elijah, a plate already set there as if Nick had been expecting him to sit there, "Tour after breakfast?" Greg asked, as he playfully swatted his fork at Elijah's wondering fingers that were aiming for his bacon.

"God yes. I want to see the rest of this palace."

-----

Nick dropped onto a suede covered couch and looked around the room they were in in complete shock, "A media room. You have a fu...er, freaking media room."

Greg snickered and leaned against the wall, he too looking around at the media room. Two long couches at different heights faced a large, built in movie screen. It was smaller than a theaters, but bigger then any TV he had ever seen in the stores. Behind the second couch was a mini-bar that housed the movie player as well a decent sized video library. There were also a couple of comfortable stools placed behind it. "Aunt Sabine's idea as a gift for me and Rayne's daughter, Lauren. Well, that's the argument Uncle Rick gave when my dad and Mark talked to him about it."

Nick's mouth dropped open even further, "Wish my family was that considerate."

Greg shook his head and straightened up, "Come on. The room Eli took off for is next. If you think this knocked your socks off...wait." Greg motioned for Nick to get up and he led the way to a set of doors opposite the ones they had entered the media room through. Elijah had left one of the double doors cracked when had he raced on past his father, so Greg just had to nudge the door open with his elbow.

He stepped off to the side quickly so he could catch Nick's face when he came through. He knew the first thing Nick would see would be the fully functional kitchenette with full sized fridge. Nick's face however, still wore the shocked expression from the media room, so the kitchenette was a bit of a let down for Greg, who was fully enjoying himself. Time for the kill, Greg thought. He got a good grip on Nick's shoulder and thrust him forward about ten feet.

"Fuck."

Greg whooped in laughter. That reaction was better then he thought it would be. The room they were in now was above the porte cocher, which separated the main garage from another, smaller one and was considerably longer then it was wide. The arched ceiling was painted in a cloud mural done by his aunt and his uncle had furnished the room, although Greg had removed the poker table and stored it in the empty garage below. Outside of the sound system this room had, the one thing he left for himself was the red felted pool table and matching accessories, like the tall bar table and it's matching chairs.

The rest of the room was completely Elijah's. There were toys scattered about as well as a small toddler scooter and a tricycle. There was a plasma screen TV on the wall closest to the main house that Greg pointed out were for Elijah's cartoon movies, of which he had many, if the two full bookshelves surrounding the TV were any indication.

Elijah rode his scooter over to Nick and tugged on the Texans jeans. Nick kneeled down so he was eye level with the toddler, "Yes, little man?"

Elijah giggled and glanced at his father before stating, "come my pow-tee, k?"

"Sure thing, Eli. I'd be glad to come." Nick stood up as Elijah let out a happy squeal and peeled away, "A party?" Nick asked, looking over at Greg.

Greg didn't notice, as he was watching Elijah ride around and feeling stunned by the event that had just taken place. Usually, his son was shy and sort of reclusive around strangers. It had taken over a month for him to finally feel comfortable around 'aunty wayne,' even if he had been less than a year old at the time, but it seemed Elijah was feeling right at home with Nick.

"G?"

Greg started and looked at Nick, "What?"

"I asked about Elijah's party?"

"Oh, yeah, Sunday. He turns three tomorrow so...party on Sunday." Greg said, before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was steadily moving towards nine, he noticed with a wince, "Eli, let's go get you dressed. You need to be at day care in half an hour so dad can get some sleep."

"k!" Elijah jumped off his scooter and ran out of the room, Nick and Greg following him at a much more sedated pace.

-----

"nickyyyy! you hewe!" The sound of a laughing three-year-old as well as his name caught his attention and Nick managed to drop Elijah's gift onto the picnic table with the rest just as Elijah threw himself at him. Elijah may have been small for his age, but he could squirm with the best of them and Nick learned early on that two hands were the safest course of action when it came to holding the red-headed child.

Nick laughed and swung him around before settling him on his hip, "So, are all those presents for me?"

Elijah threw his head back and laughed, "no! dos mine!"

"Well, phooey. Where's your dad?"

"Wif gamma and gampa and papa and nana."

Nick had met the rest of the Sanders/Hojem clan yesterday when he had spontaneously decided to spend the day with the small family. Around three in the afternoon, Greg had left Elijah in his care to head to the airport and pick up his parents and grandparents. It had felt good that Greg trusted him that much with his son.

Nick had remembered, upon meeting the family, the few times in the past when Greg had mentioned his beloved grandfather. He had always commented on how much of a prankster the older man could be. Nick found that out first hand as papa Olaf had produced and pulled off on him the oldest trick in the book. A hand buzzer. They had then proceeded to have a small family birthday party for Elijah, with the larger presents and some cake and ice cream. Nick had felt like he was intruding a bit but he was also glad that he hadn't missed out on it.

"Where's that?" Nick asked, looking around the large backyard but not seeing his wild haired friend anywhere.

"pato. i go bounce, k?" Elijah said and squirmed to be let down.

"Alright, go on you squirrelly rascal." He set Elijah on his feet and watched after him as he ran back to a miniature moon bouncer that was overrun with toddlers Elijah's age and surrounded by gossiping parents. He shook his head and headed down a small set of decorative stone steps that led to the half outdoor, half indoor patio. There, he spotted Greg and his grandparents standing around the large brick fireplace watching a couple who were talking to his parents in a heated discussion, "What's goin' on?"

Greg had been watching Nick's earlier interaction with Elijah with what he knew had to be a very adoring gaze and that was the reason for his minor unhappiness at the moment. The other couple had spotted the look on his face as Nick talked with his son and weren't too thrilled about it, hence the argument taking place by the grill.

"Just a couple of party poopers." Greg replied, ignoring his papa's amused look and his grandmothers scandalized one at his language, as minor as it had been.

"They're a couple of homophobic assholes and I don't want them here anymore." Jan Sanders growled as she joined them. Her dark brown hair was blowing in the slight breeze, making her seem like a formidable opponent despite her five foot four stature. Between that, her flashing brown eyes and flushed cheeks, Nick was slightly terrified of Greg's mom and made a vow then and there to always stay on her good side, even as he looked around for the couple they were talking about.

"Mom, I can't just kick them out for a stupid opinion." Greg said, ignoring Nick completely. Greg knew what, or rather who, Nick was looking for but couldn't bring himself to tell him that he wouldn't find them with the other parents milling about. He wished briefly that Bobby had been able to make it. Maybe his presence would have curbed Nick's curiosity.

"Greg, normally I wouldn't care but they're talking about my son! I won't have it." She took a sip of the lemonade her father had shoved in her face and sighed as the ice cool liquid seemed to calm her frazzled nerves somewhat.

Nick's head shot around to look at Greg and then his mother, before following her glare towards her husband and the homophobic couple as he finally figured out what was going on. They were now staring at him and in a none too friendly way either.

He laughed in amusement and slung an arm around Greg's shoulders, something he had done a few times at the lab on purpose to gather intel on the homophobic people at work who didn't already know about him. If he was ever to have a relationship with Greg, he certainly didn't want to hide it. And looking at the now flushed Greg and taking in how he felt about the new kid in his life, he really wanted that.

"Just tell them to leave, G. They could end up spoiling the whole day for Elijah if they spread about their opinions to the other parents." Nick said, his grin widening as the other couples stares turned all the more nasty. They finally turned on their heals and started for the moon bouncer to collect their children, as Dave Sanders confirmed a few seconds later.

"Grill's fired up and ready. Nick, help Greg bring out the brats and hamburgers would you?" Dave asked, changing the subject after he mentioned the couple leaving, "Then, once we get everything cooked, we can haul out the rest of the food and refill the chips and sodas."

"Sure thing." Both men turned and went inside, not really paying much attention to the fact that Nick still had his arm around Greg's shoulders.

"I have just met Nick, but he seems a nice young man." Krista Hojem said, her watchful brown eyes following the two boys as they went into the house, "Certainly seems to live up to Greg's talk of him so far. He will be very good to our Greg." She muttered.

"He's good with Eli too, which is important. I can't count how many calls I got from Greg worrying about his crush on Nick and Elijah's reception to Nick or Nick's towards Eli." Jan said, agreeing with her mother, "Seems to me that everything is working out on both of those fronts."

Olaf snorted into his soda, "Please. If boy's not together by end of week, we throw them in closet somewhere. Greg has plenty big ones."

"Dad!" Jan said, smacking her father softly on the arm at the same time Krista did to a cry of, "Olaf!"

Olaf held up his hands as Dave laughed, "Just saying."

-----

Greg sat down on the bed next to Elijah and ran his fingers through his sons soft curls, "Did you have fun today?"

Elijah nodded and caught Greg's fingers in his little hands, "do poem?"

"Which one?" Greg asked, feeling a bit confused. He had spoken many poems and rhymes around and for his son.

"wanke."

"You're already tucked in, my little mouse." Greg pressed his free hand to the blanket fold resting on Elijah's chest in emphasis, "We are not doing 'ride, ride, ranke.'"

"aww."

Greg smiled and tugged his fingers away, "How about we do the naming one?"

"k."

"You remember what to do?" Greg asked, eyeing his son suspiciously. Granted, they had been doing this particular rhyme since Elijah had begun talking, but sometimes his son was prone to exaggeration. When Elijah nodded his head rapidly, Greg nodded as well and started, "_Panneben_." Elijah pointed to his forehead, "_øyesten_," the little finger moved to his eye, "_øreflipp_," then to his ear, "_nesetipp_," Here, Greg intercepted the moving finger and tweaked Elijah's nose, causing the toddler to start giggling.

"_munneleppe,_" Greg bent over and gave Elijah a kiss at the corner of his mouth, "_hageslipp og dikkedikkedikk_," Greg pointed to Elijah's small chin before tickling underneath as he spoke the last part of the rhyme.

Elijah laughed and kicked his feet under the blankets as he squirmed to get away from the tickling fingers. When Greg pulled them away, the toddler went lax with a happy sigh, "dat fun."

"I know sproglet. Get some sleep." Greg said, leaning in again to kiss Elijah's temple.

"k. nite daddy."

"Night, baby boy." Greg said and stood up. He pulled the covers up to Elijah's chin and hit play on the CD player on the dresser, making sure the volume hadn't been played with, before walking out and shutting the door behind him. He turned around to head downstairs and stopped short when he saw his grandparents standing in front of him, "Hi."

Krista reached out and touched his cheek gently while Olaf smiled, "So proud of you." She whispered, "You learn and go on to teach. Make nana's heart swell."

Greg flushed and shrugged, "It's important to me and I just want Elijah to know what I know."

"And that is why I'm proud of you."

-----

TBC...

a/n: the Norwegian in this chapter is pretty much self-explanatory, I think. Anyway, if I can hold myself back, it'll be about a week till I post chapter 2. Thanks for the reviews and again, let me know what ya'll think, eh?


	3. Chapter 2 April 2002

_So I have no restraint. Consider yourselves lucky!_

--,---

April

-----

Greg finished rinsing the last bowl and placed it into one of two practically over-filled dishwashers. He heard his mother walk into the room but ignored her for a moment as he shut the washer door and turned it on. He turned to her once the task was completed and asked, "Where is he?"

Jan laughed and leaned against the island, "_He_ is upstairs with your grandfather, attempting to get him to jump on the bed with him."

Greg groaned, "Dear God, that can only end badly."

"It's your fault for doing things he wanted to do, you know. It makes him act younger than he should."

"You don't think he's actually going to attempt it, do you?" Greg asked, ignoring his mother's jibe. It still pissed her off that he had taken up surfing in high school, something that had made his grandfather somewhat jealous, and she wasn't one to let any sort of grudge go.

"I hope..." A thump and a wild string of Norwegian had both Greg and Jan staring up at the ceiling in resignation, "Not." She finished. Jan shook her head and looked back at her son, "Listen. Your father is taking us out to eat. Well, he will be as soon as we get dad moving again."

Greg groaned again, this time in unhappiness, "Aw, mom, do we really have to go?"

"You're not invited."

"What? Why not?"

Jan stared at her son for a moment, not sure how to take Greg's sudden shift in attitude, "Do you really want to go?"

"Um, no, no I don't." Greg said, shaking his head wildly. If his dad was taking them out, then it was most likely to a casino. His parents and grandparents didn't do much by way of gambling, but they did enjoy the shows, "Maybe I'll take Elijah to a movie or something. You guys have fun."

Jan nodded and went upstairs, leaving Greg alone in the kitchen. He started scanning through the newspaper that was on the kitchen table, left over from that morning, looking for a movie that his son would be able to watch. He had just reached the movies page when his cell phone went off. He reached over to grab it, flipping it open without even glancing at the caller ID, "Sanders."

//Greg? It's Nick.//

Greg smiled, "Hey man, what's up?"

//I was just wondering if you had any plans tonight?//

Greg shrugged to himself, "No, not really. Was thinking about taking Elijah to the movies since my family is going out. You want to tag along?"

There was a pause//What movie?//

Greg looked down at the paper and scanned the titles, "Either _Ice Age_ or _Snowdogs_. Only two playing that are age appropriate."

//Why not? What time?//

"Uhm, I don't know. Are you working tonight?" Greg asked, scratching the bridge of his nose. He was trying like the dickens not to just give in and cheer that Nick was going to go along. This past weekend had given him much hope into starting something with the extremely sexy Texan and any opportunity to spend time with him was welcome with wide open arms.

//Nah. I've got the night off and I'm not on call for a change. So whenever you want to go.//

"Well," Greg glanced at the clock, "It's six now so how about we meet for seven? Unlike you, I do have to work tonight and Star Time is over there. You can take Eli home for me."

//Is that the one just down the road from the lab?// Nick asked.

"Yeah."

//Okay, that works. Have you and Elijah eaten dinner yet? We could go somewhere before hand?//

Greg almost dropped the phone in shock, "I, uh, sure. We haven't eaten yet. Any place in mind?"

//McDonald's?//

"Okay. Fifteen minutes?"

//Sounds good.//

Greg snapped his phone shut and let it drop to the table. He stared at it a moment with a silly grin on his face before turning and heading upstairs, using the main staircase for a change. When he reached Elijah's room, the rest of his family was no where in sight, but he did hear a couple of doors shut from the rooms across the entryway.

He peaked in at Elijah and smiled when he saw him hanging half off of his bed and waving his toy flashlight at the glow-stars attached to his ceiling, "Hey sproglet."

Elijah looked at Greg from his upside down position and smiled, "hi daddy."

"You wanna go see a movie with Nick?" His son was always up for outings, but he injected Nick's name in just in case. His son had an unusual attachment to the man, one he was grateful for but wary of at the same time.

"yeah!" Elijah turned over onto his stomach and slithered onto the floor, pulling his sweat pants halfway down his legs in the process.

Greg stood him upright and tugged the pants the rest of the way off. After checking Elijah's pull-up, he grabbed a pair of jeans out of the closet and quickly dressed the bouncing three-year-old. After mentioning to his mom where they were going and that he was going to work right after, in case Nick and Elijah got back to the house before them, they were off.

Greg's left leg started to bounce about five minutes from the fast-food restaurant and he began to wonder how he was going to make it through this. It was closer to a date type scenario than he was particularly comfortable with, especially since he didn't know what Nick was thinking of this as. By the time they parked in the parking lot and Greg had Elijah out of the car, he was a nervous wreck. He managed a calm facade for his son, who picked up on his emotions easier than he would prefer, but inside he was shaking like a leaf.

Nick was waiting for them at the doors and Greg followed him inside, holding tight to Elijah's hand to keep from losing him to the play-room before they had eaten. Nick took their orders and went up to the counter while Greg went to find a place to sit. With it being just after six, the restaurant was fairly full and the lab-rat was lucky to find a small table inside the play-room itself.

He sat on the outside, blocking in the toddler, who was leaning around his dad and staring at the indoor playground with wide, brown eyes. Nick joined them less than ten minutes later and passed out the food, "What movie did you decide on?" Nick asked, after taking a bite of his sandwich.

Greg shrugged, "_Ice Age._ It looks better than the other if the advertisements are anything to go by."

Nick nodded and looked at Elijah, who was inhaling his fries faster than a vacuum, "Can he make it through a full movie?"

"Uhm, sure?" Greg laughed at the look on Nick's face, "Relax man. _Ice Age_ has been out for about a month now. There aren't going to be that many people there that he can annoy if he gets bouncy. Especially since it's playing on two screens at Star Time." He took a bite of his burger and then looked at Elijah when the toddler tugged on his sleeve, "Yes?" he drawled out, lengthening the word.

"done. I pway?"

Greg looked at the mess in front of Elijah. He had managed to eat most of the fries and two of the four chicken nuggets. Certainly not enough to fill the toddler, but Greg was planning on buying popcorn at the theater anyway, "All right." He stood up and let Elijah scramble past.

He followed Elijah over to the padded mat that covered the floor and removed Elijah's shoes, slotting them in one of the shoe holders before returning to the table. He and Nick talked about work mainly after being left alone, a safe topic in Greg's mind. He was still unsure of what was going on and it wasn't helping that Nick kept smiling broadly at him, revealing his amazing dimples.

"There's one thing I'm curious about. I meant to ask about it Sunday, but it slipped my mind."

Greg raised an eyebrow as he took a sip of his soda, "Okay?"

"Why do you call your grandmother 'nana Olaf' when her name is Krista?"

"That's...the first time someone ever asked me that." Greg said, eyebrows drawing together in thought, "I don't know. It's just something I've always done. I think it's because when I was Eli's age, Olaf was easier for me to say then Krista. Instead of saying papa Olaf and nana Krista, I just went with papa and nana Olaf. It kinda stuck after that."

Nick tossed his empty fry container onto the tray, "Makes sense."

They managed to pull Elijah away from the playground about twenty minutes later, which left them with enough time to just walk down to the theater. The wait in the ticket line was short and Nick bought three tickets for the show before Greg even had time to pull out his wallet. He just shook his head and turned to the candy counter while trying to pull his wallet from his back pocket and keep a decent hold on Elijah, who was sitting on his hip, at the same time.

He almost had a grip on the errant leather tri-fold when Nick dropped a hand on his shoulder, "I'll get the snacks, G."

Greg looked at Nick, a lost expression trying to make its way onto his face, "Nick..."

"Don't worry about it." Nick said, smiling.

Greg shook his head again and followed Nick into line, deciding it would be a better choice to try and keep a grip on a squirming Elijah then argue with Nick over who was going to buy the food. When their turn at the counter came, Nick ordered his soda and a jumbo popcorn, making Greg's choices smaller, figuring Nick ordered that for all of them instead of just himself, "A large root beer, a small Sprite, a bag of Reese's Pieces and a box of cookie dough." Greg said, before stepping away. If Nick was going to buy, he could carry.

They walked into the room, which was as empty as Greg had predicted, leaving them with a myriad of choices on where to sit. Both men shrugged at each other before Nick took the lead and led the way down to the fourth row from the back, seating them in the very middle. Greg almost placed Elijah in between himself and Nick, but that would leave them with either he or the Texan reaching over the small toddler for the popcorn, a sure way to obstruct Elijah's view.

Instead, he dropped into the seat beside Nick and just left Elijah on his lap. When the movie started, Nick shifted and Greg had to stifle a gasp as a knee settled against his own. He tapped his fingers against Elijah's leg while wondering what to do about the knee. Giving up, he just flexed his leg enough to bump Nick's knee.

Nick bumped him back and it escalated into a war of who could knock the others knee the furthest away, until Elijah twisted around and glared at them. Both men whispered 'sorry' to the toddler and Nick tapped his knee softly against Greg's again shortly after. This time, Greg ignored him and Nick's knee stayed pressed firmly against his.

Greg reached for his soda to take a drink when he heard Nick yawn next to him. He paused with the straw halfway to his mouth and wondered if Nick was actually going to pull the clichéd move. When the presence of an arm appeared behind his neck, he realized that Nick had indeed planned to pull the move. He sighed mentally and just decided to go with the flow, leaning into Nick while hoping he wasn't being too obvious about it.

When they reached the half way point of the movie, both men were steadily chomping away on the dwindling amount of popcorn. Greg figured this time he would be the one to pull the clichéd movie-date move and he knew he'd have to time it just right. He watched Nick from the corner of his eye as he slowed down on grabbing for the popcorn, making sure that the older man wouldn't notice.

He didn't and Greg started to time his reaching with Nicks, making sure that he was just a bit off from the grasping fingers. Finally, he let his timing slip just a bit so his hand was still in the bucket when Nick's went in. He bit the inside of his cheek when Nick jumped at the unexpected contact and he finally smiled when Nick glanced at him before taking hold of his hand.

It was an awkward position for Nick, who was reaching across himself with his left hand as his right was still behind Greg's neck on the back of the chair, but for a few minutes, neither did anything to change it. Finally, Nick dropped his hand and pulled his own from the bucket. Greg was slightly grateful, as his fingers were starting to get uncomfortably greasy, but he was also a bit upset that the hand-holding hadn't lasted all that long.

That was, until Nick's hand dropped to his shoulder. Greg gasped out loud and whipped his head around to look at Nick. Nick gave him a broad, dimpled grin again and Greg smiled in response as the fingers curled around his shoulder tightened. He couldn't believe Nick was blatantly flirting with him like this. While he'd be the first to admit that they did do their share of flirting while at work, it was usually subtle and instigated by himself, not Nick.

While they were having their flirt-fest, Elijah had lost interest in the movie and was finding watching his father and his friend much more entertaining.

At the latest move, he piped up while looking at Nick, "daddy 'ikes you."

Greg blushed and looked down at his son, "Elijah, we've been over this. Daddy likes everyone at work."

Elijah shrugged and grinned as he rubbed his nose, "'ike nicky mostest!" he said with a giggle and leaned back against Greg's chest, turning his attention back to the movie.

Greg looked at Nick again and gave a nervous laugh before clearing his throat and turning his attention to the movie as well, trying to ignore the quiet chuckles that were causing the chest he was leaning against to shake.

-----

Greg sighed as Warrick walked out of his lab. Despite what Warrick had just said, he really didn't have anything to do with the stuff printed up in the newsletter. He had just distributed them, even though he knew that over half of what was written in the article was completely false.

He stood up and dropped his magazine on to the counter before heading out and down to the room Nick had ensconced himself in since his return from the scene. Hopefully, Nick would let him explain before jumping all over his ass about the falsified paper.

He knocked on the open door, "Heard you were looking for me?"

Nick raised his head and looked over at him, "Greg, come here. I want to talk to you for a sec." Greg hesitated. That so did not sound good, but he chose not to say anything when Nick noticed his hesitation, "C'mon." Nick continued, waving his hand to get him to move closer.

Greg walked up to Nick, pausing less then a foot away. This whole situation was weird. Between the last few days, the newsletter, and how Nick was acting now, he wasn't sure how to handle himself, "What's up?"

Nick threw an arm around Greg and his fingers clasped the t-shirt, lab coat and some of the skin at the crease of his neck and shoulder. He tugged Greg over till their heads were inches apart and said, "Stop invading my privacy, man. I don't like it. I'm just trying to do my job around here. I don't need the extra attention."

Greg nodded a bit as his eyes started to widen. That certainly sounded like any headway they had made towards a relationship this past weekend and prior few days had fallen back a few steps further than they had been previously, "Okay b-but, I mean, you are the one who's doing the Forensic Spotlight i-in the d-department newsletter." He replied. Nick's grip had tightened as Greg spoke, causing Greg's eyes to narrow into slits and his words to stutter slightly as pain erupted from his shoulder. His reply was made in hope to divert the blame away from him. He really didn't have anything to do with them before the printing. If only he could figure out how to explain that to Nick.

Nick dragged him a bit closer and lowered his voice slightly, "I didn't do anything, man. Someone from the community wrote a letter of commendation. Public affairs ran it. Cool?"

"Cool." Greg replied with another nod. Anything to be let go of. He was going to have a bruise on his shoulder for sure after this. Nick nodded as well, dropped his arm, and walked around the tank while patting Greg on the back. Greg looked down through the smoke in the fume hood, "So, uh, what are you fuming?"

"Plastic bag from the crime scene. I'm trying to get lucky, see if I can get any prints off it." Nick said, as he pulled the top of the hood open a bit and started fanning away the fumes with his metal clipboard.

Greg narrowed his eyes and dipped his head a bit as he looked into the case, "Did she die of suffocation?" He asked as he caught sight of the bag. He looked up after a few seconds to see Nick staring at him, a look of surprise on the Texans face. He glanced down at the tank in emphasis and then looked back up.

He then felt a bit of a surprise himself when Nick's eyes widened slightly and he stepped back around the fume tank to his side. Both men gazed down at the bag silently, taking in the imprint of Jane Galloway's screaming face.

-----

Greg sat on the couch in the living room Sunday afternoon. He had chosen this room because it was the one room Elijah didn't like to enter. It was just too boring for the active three-year-old. His parents, who had decided to stay on another week after Greg had come home practically in tears that morning, were entertaining their grandson up in the play room as well as making dinner, allowing Greg to be alone with his thoughts.

Nick had been stalked, Nick had been thrown out of a second story window, Nick had almost died _twice_ because of some stupid asshole who had a problem. Those were the three main topics replaying over and over again in his mind like some sort of broken record.

He brought his legs up and rested his forehead on his knees. He always thought that CSI's had the safer of the job when it came to police work. Then again, he should have realized that they really didn't when just after he started, the CSI that Sara had replaced had been killed followed by another time when a gun had been held at Nick's face.

Greg let his legs drop back down to the floor as he sighed, before standing up and stretching. He grabbed his coffee off the table and walked behind the couch and into a round off-set of the living room that made up entirely of doors. It held a small baby grand piano of his aunts as well as a few other miscellaneous instruments that they had collected over the years. Greg had added his three guitars; one acoustic, one electric, and the third, an autographed bass; to the collection just after he had moved in and unpacked them.

Right now though, his attention was aimed at the piano. He hadn't played in a long while, not since before his aunt and uncle had died, but he figured it wouldn't be that hard to pick it up again and it helped that it always seemed to have had a calming effect with him.

He set down his drink on the provided coaster bar and lifted the padded seat of the bench. Greg shuffled through the music before he found a relatively easy and melodic piece that he remembered playing years ago. He sat down and did a quick scale, testing his own skills as well as checking to see if the piano was still in tune. Then he started playing.

It was almost soothing. In fact, with the piece he had chosen and the effort he had to put into it, he could actually feel some of his pain leaving him. When he reached the lighter part of the song, which was also a bit easier, his thoughts began to coalesce. He straightened and faltered on the keys as one main thought struck him. He was in love with Nick. He dropped his hands to the bench and stared straight ahead without looking at anything in particular as he tried to decipher just when that had happened.

"That was some good playing, G, but it doesn't sound finished."

Greg jumped and whirled around on the bench as far as he could. Nick was standing in the doorway closest to the front steps, the one door he had unlocked and cracked open to let some air circulate around the room, "Nick." He said, his eyes widening.

"Finish the song Greg." Nick said, stepping into the music room. He paused and then with an apologetic look to Greg, who just waved it off, he shut the door behind himself and locked it. He knew the rest of the doors were locked so he sat down on the bench next to Greg and looked over the music, humming the familiar tune as his eyes followed the notes, "Well?"

"Er, right. Sorry." Greg found a good spot to start from and took off again, trying to ignore Nick's presence long enough to finish. Soon, though not nearly soon enough, the song ended.

"I'm impressed G. I didn't know you could play the piano, let alone _The Phantom of the Opera_."

Greg shrugged, "I haven't in a long time and this piece sounds better with the rest of the orchestra behind it."

Nick frowned and looked at Greg, "Still good though. Look," He looked down for a moment as if collecting his thoughts, "I want to apologize for Wednesday." He covered Greg's mouth as he opened it to say something, "Just shut up for a minute. I shouldn't have jumped on you like that. It was that girl who works trace on swing shift that made all that stuff up. I'm sorry for blaming you."

Greg pulled Nicks hand from his mouth but didn't let go of it, "I shouldn't have spread it around though." He looked down at their hands, taking in the different size and textures between them, "So if you're apologizing, so should I."

"Greg..."

Greg looked up and his breath caught at Nick's face being so near. There was barely an inch of space between them and he wondered briefly which of them had moved before Nick closed the space and pressed his lips to Greg's.

Greg exhaled through his nose and shifted closer, his free hand rising to wrap carefully around Nick's neck and shoulders, mindful of the bruises covering his back and the bandaged arm and shoulder.

As they pulled apart for air, Nick kissed his cheek and forehead before resting his head against Greg's, "Been wanting to do that since last weekend."

"Mm, me too." Greg nuzzled his head into Nick's neck.

They stayed in that position for a few moments before an amused voice cut through the serene atmosphere, "Boys, dinner is ready. Should I set another place for Nick?"

They pulled apart slowly and looked over at Jan, "Yeah, mom, that sounds good." Greg replied, and smiled at Nick.

-----

TBC...


	4. Chapter 3 May 2002

A/N: Okay, I'm going to explain how this posting thing works. My friend, Jess, is writing and posting a story in another fandom and I'm acting as muse for her. Part of the incentive is every time she posts, I post. Not fair on all of you if she falls behind, but so far, she's doing good. It also makes a good excuse to kick her in the butt when she lags. I am such a nice friend. Lol. Hope you all enjoy.

Also, thanks for all the reviews! I appreciate them and would do individual replies but fanfic and my computer don't mix when it comes to replies. Sorry.

Warnings: swearing...

-----------

May

-----------

"daddy..."

Greg groaned and thrust his head under his pillow, determined to ignore the call as well as the poking finger that accompanied it. Elijah's voice had a bit of a whine to it, but it was still a quiet whine so he wasn't going to worry about it...yet. He really wished that he wasn't being woken up right now, because he hadn't gotten much sleep between a late shift and Rayne's sudden need for spring cleaning that morning which meant the vacuuming and slamming of closet doors had been really loud through his cracked bedroom door.

"Daddy..."

Elijah's small voice suddenly got much deeper and the poking into his chest became much more firm. Curious about this, he lifted his elbow just enough to raise the pillow up so he could look out from under it. Nick was crouched down, so that he was closer to Elijah's height, and had taken over the prodding.

He dropped his arm, hoping that they would let them go back to sleep, but it seemed Lady Luck was visiting some other poor sod this afternoon. They did live in Las Vegas after all.

Nick's firm pokes started to lighten up and were moving steadily...down...Greg let out an undignified screech as the wandering finger made contact with the side of his torso and he thrust his lower body away from it quickly, much to the amusement of his tormentors.

Greg flopped over onto his back and sighed, "I really hate you two right now." But when no response seemed to be forthcoming, he looked over at the pair, wondering what was going on.

Nick, who had been chuckling along with the three-year-old at Greg's response to the tickling, had turned to watch Elijah's all out laughter, a small smile on his face. Greg, not able to resist the moment, flipped back over onto his stomach and crawled to the edge of the bed to wrap his arm around Nick's shoulders and chest. He rested his head on the free shoulder, angling himself so he could watch his son as well. He lifted his head up slightly and kissed the shoulder he was resting on when Nick reached up and covered his arm with his hand.

Greg caught sight of his alarm clock then, "Holy smokes, why didn't you two wake me? We're going to be late!"

Elijah hiccoughed as his laughter receded and he leaned against Nick's leg, a punch drunk expression on his face, "did! lotsa times, daddy." He then giggled as another hiccough escaped.

Nick nodded as he reached out and wiped away the tears of mirth from the freckled face, "He's right G. We've been in and out for the past hour. Each time it was just 'ten more minutes!'"

Greg pushed himself into an upright position and ran his hand through his hair. His nose wrinkled in a grimace when his fingers hit the practically non-existent strands of hair above his ears. He should have never agreed to playing barber with Elijah, safety scissors be damned. He was able to pull the look off without looking stupid, but everyone had gotten a good laugh out of the story when Nick started explaining what had actually happened. Of course, now everybody at the lab knew about Elijah, but the reactions he received hadn't been as bad as he had once feared.

"Still..." He muttered. He climbed over Nick and swooped down to pull his son up into his arms. Elijah squealed and started laughing again as Greg spun him to curve around his hip, "Catherine and Warrick said to meet them at three. It's nearly two. I won't have time to eat." He looked up at Nick and put on his best doe eyes, "Unless certain peoples are willing to make me something..."

Nick snorted and grabbed Elijah, "No go, man. Soon as you're dressed we're off." He stepped away with the toddler hanging upside down and staring at his dad through shining brown eyes while he kicked his feet.

Greg grabbed Elijah's legs and lifted him to look at his face, "How much sugar did he feed you after Rayne left, sproglet? You are wired."

With Greg lifting Elijah, Nick was able to get a better grip on the toddler and he proceeded to flip him right side up, "Just a cup of apple juice Rayne had left in the fridge man, I swear. He was like this when I got here." Nick then turned and headed out of the room. Elijah peeked up over his shoulder and wiggled his fingers at Greg, who responded in kind before heading to the bathroom.

Despite Greg's warnings that they were going to be late, they left the Las Vegas city limits at around two thirty, which meant they would actually be at their destination early. Greg had only taken about ten minutes to shower and dress, a shocking feat for him, and just decided to run a handful of mousse through his hair to get it slightly spiky instead of going through his normal half hour routine.

It had then taken another ten minutes to make sure Elijah's bag was all packed before they were out the door. They had decided to get snacks to hold them over until dinner when they stopped for gas, so they didn't need to worry about finding food in the house which was something that would have put them way behind.

Greg dug through the bag at his feet and passed Nick his soda after opening it. He then pulled the pop-top of the bottle of apple juice for Elijah and turned around to hand it to him. Elijah, though, was sound asleep, his chin resting on his chest, "Well...that's a switch." Greg said, amused that the previously hyper toddler had dropped off so quickly. He turned back around and dropped the bottle back into the bag after closing it.

"That can not be comfortable." Nick commented after glancing in the mirror.

Greg shrugged, "His head'll just flop forward again if I push it back. Better to just leave it." He opened a bag of Frito's and offered some off to Nick, "I wonder how Catherine knew about this place?"

Nick popped a couple of the chips into his mouth, "I think it was more Lindsey's idea, actually. Some kid from her school had a party out there and she just had to go. Thing is, Warrick told me that children under four can't ride the horses, even with an adult. Sucks, 'cause ridin' is the best part."

Greg looked through the brochure Catherine had given him the week before, "Still, there's a_Wild West_ show and a petting zoo. That should keep him entertained. For a while at least."

"We should take him to my parents ranch. At least there he'll be able to ride a horse."

Greg dropped his hand to his thigh and looked at Nick, a bit surprised. This was the first time since they had started dating that Nick had brought up his parents. Greg wasn't entirely sure why Nick hadn't before, but he hadn't wanted to push the issue, "Nick..." He wasn't quite sure what to say.

Nick looked over at Greg and reached out to grab his hand, "I told them."

"You...told..." Greg looked down at their hands, still at a loss of what to say.

"About you," Nick glanced back at Elijah again and smiled, "and Eli. They know that I've dated guys before and I think the only thing that shocked them was that you had a son."

Greg finally found his tongue as he slumped back into the seat, "Why in the world would that surprise them?" He knew he sounded a bit offended, but hell, what was it about him being a father that seemed to stun people?

Nick squeezed his hand, "Relax. It was because I never mentioned Eli before when I talked about you, that's all. My parents are really liberal. They kinda had to be what with me being bi-sexual and Sammy's husband being black."

"Sammy?" Greg asked, suddenly feeling very confused, "Who's Sammy?"

Nick made the turn to their destination as soon as they passed the sign proclaiming it to be the entrance to 'Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada.' before he answered, "One of my sisters. She's a designer out in New York, which is where she met Kieran. He's a pretty cool guy. Him and Warrick are a lot alike, which is probably why I get along with Warrick so well."

"One of...how many sisters have you got?" Greg thought this was great. Other than a "movie date" after Elijah's bedtime a week ago, they hadn't spent much time alone since getting together. Any sort of 'getting-to-know-you' type discussions hadn't happened beyond agreeing to see just each other, thanks to Elijah's continuous presence. It hadn't been a bad thing to have his son around, but it was taking longer to get to know one another better.

"Five and an older brother. Liam's the oldest, then there's Lynn, Tasha, Sammy, and the twins Maddy and Aly. Followed by yours truly, of course."

Greg pointed out an empty parking space even as he muttered, "Of course." His tone was good natured, though, "Are those all nicknames?"

"Yeah. Liam was named for dad, but mom didn't like the junior tag. My sisters' actual names are Lynnette, Natasha, Samantha, Madeline and Allison, and well, you know mine."

As Nick parked, Greg began scanning the parking lot for Warrick's black Dodge Dakota, "I think we beat them here."

"Unless they took Catherine's car." Nick shut down the SUV and leaned back in the seat, letting Greg do the looking for their co-workers, "What excuse did Sara come up with to not show? 'Cause I know Catherine asked her and you were in the break room at the time."

"I don't see Catherine's jeep either and Sara said something about a meeting. I wasn't really listening." Greg rolled down the window and lifted his face into the wind.

The breeze was still a bit chilly, despite it being the beginning of May, but he wasn't going to complain. It complimented the warming spring air wonderfully. He opened his eyes just in time to see Warrick pull in two spaces down from them, "There they are." Oh boy, now he was feeling nervous. He bit his lip and looked at Nick as he undid his seatbelt.

Nick leaned over and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips, "It's okay. They'll love him."

Greg nodded and whispered, "I hope so." before returning the kiss and getting out of the truck. He opened the back door and pressed on the tender area of Elijah's side, an easy way to wake the boy up in a good mood. He had no idea how it happened, but Elijah shared the same ticklish spot that he did, as did his own dad, and it had always been utilized as a wake up call.

Elijah jumped awake with a shocked laugh and grabbed his fathers finger as he looked around through heavy lidded eyes, "whewe we?"

Greg smiled at Nick, who was grabbing the pack from the other side, and then unbuckled Elijah from the car seat, swinging him out of the truck to rest on his hip, "It's a surprise." He said, shutting the door and walking to the back of the truck to stand next to Nick.

Elijah rested his head at the crook of Greg's neck and shoved his thumb into his mouth, a habit that only came about when he was waking up, "k."

The two men watched their friends silently as they went about waking Lindsey, who apparently fell asleep en route as well. Warrick finally managed to extract the sleepy seven-year-old and they walked over to join Nick and Greg.

Greg smiled as Elijah wormed his head further into his neck, hiding his face. Now this was typical Elijah behavior and something he could work with. Remembering his son's reaction to meeting Nick still left him a bit disconcerted, "Warrick, Catherine, this is Elijah. He's ah, a bit shy around new people. Just give him time to warm up to you."

They both nodded and as the group started towards the ranch, Nick waved his hand at Lindsey, who was still ensconced in Warrick's arms, "Why is she so tired?" he asked, taking in the droopy eyelids and occasional yawning.

Catherine shook her head, bemused, "She was too excited about coming out here to get any decent sleep last night." She then stopped and looked around, pushing her blond hair out of her face, "Maybe we should take them to the petting zoo first. Let them wake up some before that old west show starts." Apparently, Catherine had taken in the fact that Elijah was still half asleep as well.

Greg nodded, "Sounds good."

-----

Nick really, really wished he had thought to grab a camera. Elijah was standing by the hen coop, holding a little chick carefully in both hands. The look on the little boy's face was absolutely priceless. He figured that the gift shop by the restaurant had cameras, but he didn't want to miss anything by running to purchase one.

"Here."

Nick looked over at Warrick and smiled when his friend passed him a disposable camera, one that still had all twenty four exposures on it, "Thanks. How'd you...?"

Warrick snorted and shoved a hand in his pocket, "Between you and Greggo? Please. We figured one if not both of you would forget a camera. We packed a few other emergency supplies as well."

Nick snapped a picture of Elijah grinning up at Greg, who was crouched down and bracketing his son with his legs. That would be a great picture to send to his parents to show off the two new 'men' in his life. "You, my friend, are a life saver." He said, snapping another picture as a hen almost knocked Greg over. He wondered briefly if a camcorder would have been a better wish as he watched Greg's arms flounder around as he tried to balance himself out.

Warrick shook his head and took his own picture of Lindsey staring up at a pony with an adoring expression on her face, "Nah, just the boyfriend of a single parent just like you."

"What?" Nick's head whipped around to look at Warrick, who was still looking over at Lindsey.

"Nick, you're not exactly subtle when it comes to Greg and I also didn't miss those kisses you two shared in the truck." Warrick glanced at Nick, "You mad that I figured it out?"

"Nah." Nick shrugged, "I was gunna tell you eventually but Greg and I haven't even been together for a month yet and..."

Warrick held up his hand to silence Nick, "I get it bro. Cath and I felt the same way before we told you."

They stood there silently as they watched Elijah run over to Lindsey on the other side of the pen. He latched onto her jeans and stared up at the pony with not exactly fright, but it was obvious he wasn't too sure about the size of this new creature up close.

"He's cute. You can certainly see Greg in him. Where'd the red and freckles come from?" Warrick asked.

Nick had been in the process of pulling himself up to sit on the railing, but he paused halfway in his ascent and laughed as Greg slipped in something not entirely pleasant, if the look on his face was any indication, "His mom. Greg's father has freckles but none of his family are red-heads." Nick's answer was a bit absentminded. He tried to think of how to get the gunk off of Greg's shoe before they left as he let himself drop back down to the ground.

Warrick nodded as he pointed at Greg, "See, that's why we packed emergency supplies. I bet you didn't think to grab baby wipes for stuff like that did you? Baby wipes are like the all purpose cleaner for a parent."

"No we didn't, since Eli is almost fully potty trained." Nick clapped Warrick on the shoulder, "Guess you better get some while I head off the fireworks. Those are his favorite pair of shoes." He walked over towards Greg, watching where he was stepping as well to avoid an accident of his own, "Look on the bright side G," He said as he came up to his boyfriend, "At least you didn't fall."

"That's true." Greg said, snorting a bit as the humor of the situation caught up to him, "So, smart guy, any idea how to get rid of this? Otherwise it's going to be a nasty ride home."

"Warrick's getting some baby wipes." Nick said. He looked over at Elijah who, when he caught Nick looking, squealed and ran over to them, "Remind me to check the rug-rats shoes once we finish here."

"nicky!" Elijah yelled, "howsey 'ikes me. take home!"

"Er," Nick glanced at Greg who smiled and raised an eyebrow, "Where would you keep it, little man?"

"bedwoom." Elijah said after scoffing through his nose, a gesture that all three-year-olds seemed to have down pat, if his nieces and nephews had been any indication.

"Hate to tell you Eli," Nick said, lifting the boy to his shoulders, "Horsey has a home. I don't think he'd be too happy about moving all of a sudden."

Elijah's shoulders drooped, "awww." He groaned, making it evident that he was disappointed by that bit of information.

"Tell ya what. One of these days if daddy says it's okay, we'll take you to see some of my horses and maybe you can name one. How's that sound?" Nick said, looking up at Elijah's face to avoid looking at Greg's.

Elijah gasped and whipped his head around to look at Greg, "daddy?"

"Er, we'll see. For now, let's go see Warrick and get our shoes cleaned off, okay?" Greg said.

Nick thought his voice sounded alright, but when he looked at Greg finally he knew he was gunna be in trouble later. The eyebrow was still raised and though he wasn't frowning, he definitely wasn't smiling.

"k!" Elijah threaded his fingers into Nick's hair and tugged one hand in the direction of where Warrick and Catherine were busy cleaning off Lindsey's shoes.

When they crossed the pen, Warrick took one look at Greg's face and grimaced, "Man, Nick, what did you do?" At this, Catherine looked up as well, eyebrows rising in question when she saw Greg's look.

Nick shook his head and handed Elijah off to Warrick. He grabbed a handful of baby wipes and tugged on Greg's arm, directing him to a set of deserted picnic tables a few feet away. Greg pulled his arm back but followed him, which Nick was grateful for. He had an idea of why Greg was so upset and how to remedy it, but he sure as hell didn't want to do it with an audience.

Greg tried to snatch some of the wipes from Nicks hands, but Nick shook his head again and urged Greg to sit on the table top. He grabbed the foot with the worst mess and started wiping it off, "I was going to tell you later."

Greg crossed his arms and finally let the frown out completely, "Tell me what? That you had horses? Nick, I'm more upset that you're making promises when there's a good chance you won't be able to keep them."

Nick finished one foot and started on the other, "There's a pretty damn good chance I can keep this promise, but I don't know if I want to tell you when you're this pissed off."

"How? You going to get horses out here for my son? 'Cause I know you don't have any here in Vegas." Greg said with a laugh, though it wasn't a particularly nice laugh.

Nick sighed and threw the used wipes into the trashcan. He wasn't worried about his own shoes. He had watched where he stepped when he went into the pen, "My parents invited us to the ranch for the fourth of July."

"So that's why you brought them up in the truck."

"No, it's not. They invited us a couple of weeks ago when I told them we were finally dating. I mentioned the ranch in the truck because I didn't, and still don't I might add, think it's fair that a three-year-old can't ride the horses here." Nick said, crossing his own arms, "I brought up the invite this time because I wanted you to know I can keep a damned promise if I make one."

Greg pushed himself off the picnic table and put his hands on his hips, "That mean you weren't intending on bringing up the fact that your parents invited us to the ranch unless absolutely needed, like just now?"

"What? No! I was..."

"You were what? Waiting to see if we we're going to make it to three months before springing it on me at the last minute?"

Nick threw his arms up in the air, "Will you stop putting words in my mouth?! Your birthday is Sunday, remember?"

"What has that got to do with anything?" Greg was loosing steam, Nick could tell. His shoulders had lost some of their rigidity and his eyes had a confused crease to them because of the sudden left turn in the conversation. Or argument. Nick wasn't really sure which it was because while there had been no yelling, anger had certainly been involved.

Nick sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "Last week, when Catherine invited us to come out here, I said it had to be on Friday 'cause we had to work Saturday night 'cause we took Sunday off. She had only agreed 'cause Lindsey had no school today, remember?"

"Yeah," Greg drawled, his confusion becoming much more visible by way of a wrinkling nose, "I do, but I...oh. You told me it was a surprise when I asked."

"Right, well, the invite was a part of it."

All of Greg's confusion melted away as did any lingering anger. He gave Nick one of his brightest smiles in warning before pouncing, sealing their mouths together.

Nick's arms came up quickly to catch Greg and took a small step back to steady them before closing his eyes and enjoying the kiss. A throat clearing interrupted them a few seconds later and they pulled apart to look at their smirking friends.

"You guy's done with the verbal foreplay? 'Cause the show starts in ten minutes and its on the other side of the corral." Warrick asked, pointing his thumb over his shoulder.

They both cleared their throats before looking around. They hadn't attracted any attention, thankfully, due to the small fact that there were very few people milling about and those that were were minding their own business. Their argument hadn't been loud enough nor close enough to garner any curious looks.

Greg nodded and bent over to pick up Elijah, who looked confused. Nick gathered that the toddler had seen the fight, but hadn't really understood what had been going on, "All right, let's head over there."

-----

TBC...


	5. Chapter 4 May 2002

A/N: Couple of things I want to mention. I know it seems like this is plotless so far, but since this thing totals over thirty chapters, the plot is still in early stage of development. There is one, I assure you. Also, some of you asked questions and those answers are in the story. Whether they're coming up soon or not, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

Thank you for your reviews! One of these day's I'm going to use a different computer and reply to them all...wouldn't mind more of your input though, so review again or for the first time and let me know what you think?

**Warning: **Frottage

-----

May

-----

Greg smirked as the bartender passed him another beer and waved his hand to ward off Nick's money, "Do you have any idea how cool it is to be born on Cinco De Mayo? If I go to the right bar, I get all the free Corona's I want." He dropped the lime into the bottle and lifted it to take a swig.

Nick snorted, "For you, yeah. Me? I have to pay through the teeth to get the good stuff." He looked around the small bar again and shook his head, still a bit surprised at what he saw.

This place was a cop hangout and was usually jam packed on the weekends, Sunday's included. Brass had invited them there just after Nick started at the CSI lab and it was now the main place third shift got together after work, since they opened early and had a fantastic breakfast menu.

Tonight though, there were only two other couples seated in the place, not including him and Greg, and another couple was dancing on the makeshift dance floor.

Greg swiveled around on the barstool so he was facing the rest of the bar and rested his elbows on the counter, "I never did ask how you talked Catherine into taking Elijah for the night, especially since it's her only night off this week."

It had been originally planned for Rayne and Mark to take him overnight down at their cabin, but their daughter had gone into an early labor and they had to take off. It was a problem that had left Nick floundering after Rayne had called, until Warrick managed to calm him down and took over babysitting duties.

"It was Warrick." Nick said, shrugging his shoulders and taking a drink of his own Corona, "I was panicking so he offered. Catherine didn't really mind 'cause Lindsey likes Eli."

Greg looked at Nick. That weird tone was back in Nick's voice, and for the second time found himself wondering if he should call Nick on it or not, "Hey, despite the free beers, this is pretty boring. Let's get out of here." He finally said, opting to ignoring if for now. Two fights in three days was not on the agenda.

Nick looked over and met his eyes, as though he knew what was going through Greg's mind, before nodding. He grabbed his money off the bar, leaving a decent sized tip for Greg's two free beers and his half of one before standing. They headed out into the cooling night air and started back for the house.

Nick had been pretty shocked to find that Greg had lived only a mile and a half from the small bar if they took the back road up to the property. It also explained why, when Greg had left the few get-togethers he had shown up for earlier then everyone else, his car was usually still parked in the parking lot.

He reached out and grabbed Greg's hand, twining their fingers together, "So? Was there anything specific you had in mind? Other than taking you out and the invite, I'm pretty much fresh out of ideas."

Greg pulled Nick closer and wrapped his arm around Nick's back, even with his hand still clasped with Nick's. It left the older man in an awkward position, but he really couldn't bring himself to care at the moment. Not with Greg's lips on his own. He slid his free hand up Greg's arm and tangled his fingers in the hairs at the back of his neck, managing to pull Greg closer without causing himself any discomfort.

"Yeah, I got a few ideas. Come on." Greg said as he pulled away. He tugged on Nick's hand and they started back to the house at a brisk pace.

Nick was starting to think that it was a pretty stupid idea that they had walked down to the bar, even if it was only a fifteen minute journey by foot. When they arrived back at the house though, they didn't make it any further than the patio couch before they were fused together at the mouth again.

Nick gave a slight nudge with his hip, which caused the back of Greg's knees to hit the couch. Greg lost contact with Nick as he lost balance and dropped down, but it was only a minor reprieve as Nick pushed him onto his back and climbed on top of him.

"God Nick." Greg moaned as the one hundred and sixty pound body settled on him.

"You ok?" Nick asked, his own breath coming in gasps.

Greg reached up and wrapped his arms around Nick's neck and tugged, "Oh yeah, better than. Get down here." One final tug and he had Nick's lips back on his. He shifted his right leg slightly so that Nick was straddling it instead of laying on both of his legs straight down. He groaned at the extra pressure to his dick from Nick's pelvic bone resting on it. He then groaned again as Nick took advantage of his now open mouth and shoved his tongue inside.

He thrust his hips in automatic response when Nick hit a particularly sensitive spot in his mouth. Nick's grunt at the sudden move was muffled and he gave a thrust of his own hips in response. This started a chain reaction that left them panting into each others mouths, too busy working on mutual stimulation to keep up the kissing, but unwilling to loose the connection.

Nick finally broke contact and buried his face at Greg's neck, his fingers gripping and releasing Greg's t-shirt at his shoulders with each thrust of his hips. Greg bit his lip as his own hands scrambled for purchase on Nick's back, just underneath his shoulder blades.

"Geeze, Nick." He managed to ground out, "So close." His foot slipped on the couch and he worked to find a grip on the cushions, disrupting their rhythm in the process, but it didn't do anything to deter them.

"Yeah...Greg..." Nick moaned and lifted his head, running his lips up the neck in front of him, pausing to suck on the soft skin under Greg's ear before continuing on and finding Greg's mouth. He ran his tongue along the sensitive spot in Greg's mouth again and then pulled away panting, hoping to God that that would help further Greg.

His hoping wasn't in vain as Greg threw his head back and froze, his mouth open and back arched. Greg, who was a very loud person by nature, made absolutely no noise as he orgasmed and even his breathing seemed to freeze at that moment of release.

Just watching Greg come loose pushed Nick all the closer to the edge and it only took him a few more thrusts before he too reached his climax.

Greg watched through heavy lidded eyes as Nick clenched his jaw, squeezed his eyes shut and almost seemed to gasp through his teeth. If he hadn't already come, that sight alone would have pushed him over. Greg wrapped his arms around Nick as Nick's arms collapsed, taking his weight with ease.

"That was..." Greg said a moment after he caught his breath, unsure what word he would use to describe it.

Nick pushed himself up so he was resting on his elbow's and stared down at Greg, "Fast?" He supplied, his humor evident.

Greg laughed and slid his hands up Nick's back, "Yeah, but oh so good." he leaned up and gave Nick a leisurely kiss before pulling away, "We should shower...or something. I'm feeling a bit sticky."

Nick pushed himself up onto his hands and knees before kissing Greg again, "Sounds like a plan."

-----

Greg watched Nick cook from his position on top of the island, thinking back on their night spent together.

Nick had apologized a few times for the lack of preparation for his birthday. Apparently, he had made reservations at a small Greek restaurant because of Greg's huge love for Greek food, but when he had called Thursday to confirm, he had found out that they were going to be closed due to an electrical problem. Despite calling around after that, Nick hadn't been able to find any open reservations at any of the Greek restaurants in the city.

After they had arrived back at the house and made out like randy teenagers on the patio couch, Nick had surprised Greg by cooking him a three course meal of a Horiatiki (a Greek salad), Keftedes (meatballs) with homemade fries and for desert, a homemade Baklava. Although the Baklava _had been_ mostly pre-made on Saturday before Nick had gone into work.

After dinner, they had started to watch the movie Nick had bought him, but that too had turned in to a make out session. They did eventually make it to Greg's room, but after two orgasms each and the heavy meal, they had dropped straight off to sleep following separate showers.

Now, they were getting a head start on the barbecue they were having with their co-workers that afternoon, a celebration of sorts for cracking a very difficult case the week before that had had everyone on night shift involved.

Greg had never actually spent much time with the other CSI's outside of work save a couple of the get-togethers, but now that he was dating Nick he supposed that was going to be a given, not that it was something that he minded too much.

Nick also invited Archie and Bobby, both of whom had put up with a lot of bullshit from the stressed CSI's during the case. Just the thought that they were going to be there was something Greg was thankful for, especially the presence of Bobby, whom he considered one of his best friends in Vegas.

Bobby's daughter, five-year-old Jenna, was also pretty close to Elijah, thanks to them going to the same day-care when she was out of school. Bobby was in a same-sex relationship as well and his daughter was his own thanks to his partner's sister, who had acted as surrogate for them.

"So, let me get this straight. Your dad's a judge but your parents live on a _working_ ranch." Greg said, picking up the thread of conversation from earlier that morning.

"Yeah, well, the ranch has been in my family for years. My dad semi-retired when my grandfather passed away and Liam, Lynn and Tasha work it, as does Lynn's husband. Liam and his wife Leslie actually live in my grandparents old house thats off of the main place. Lynn and Tasha live in town but they go out during the day." Nick said, "They've also got a few ranch hands to help out with the horses."

Greg hopped off the counter and went over to the sink to rinse the noodles Nick pressed into his hands, dumping them into the waiting strainer, "So it's just a horse ranch then?"

"Yup. They raise and breed them and mama gives riding lessons, now that she's retired, in between watching her grandkids."

"Hmm." Greg said as he sloshed the macaroni around to cool them evenly, "You know, I've never been on a horse."

Nick, who had been on his way to the fridge, paused and looked at Greg over the island, "At all?"

Greg shrugged and shut off the water, leaving the strainer in the sink to drain, "Nope. Well, not unless you count those pony rides."

"I'm sure mama would be glad to teach you. I would, but I can't really teach riding. I've tried." Nick stuck his head in to the open fridge and began pulling out food items, "Do you want onions for that salad?"

"No." Greg said as he dug in a cupboard for a large bowl, "Eli loves tuna salad but he won't eat it if I put onions in it."

Nick slid a jar of mayo across the counter to join the rest of Greg's ingredients that were laid out. His own salad had to wait on the potatoes to cook; Catherine and Warrick were bringing the meat for grilling as well as buns and chips; Sara had offered to make a spaghetti salad and vegetable kabobs; Grissom was bringing brownies for dessert, his mothers recipe, as well as oatmeal cricket cookies. Not that they actually knew about the crickets; Bobby had offered a couple of fruit salads while Archie was bringing a few watermelons; and Brass had decided to contribute a couple of cheesecakes.

With everyone bringing something, they were going to have enough food to feed a small army, which in hindsight was a good thing since just half of them could pack away the food to feed said army.

As Greg prepared his salad, he wondered what to do to keep the kids occupied. He had the volleyball net in the garage as well as croquet set, but Elijah liked to hit everyone else's balls as well as any knees he came in contact with with the mallets so he didn't think that game was a terribly good idea. In fact, while he would still put up the volleyball net, he didn't think that one was a good idea for the kids either. Elijah was sneaky and liked to steal the volleyball which led to exhausting games of chase.

"What are the kids going to do?" He asked, at a loss of ideas. All of the toy's he had were for toddlers and while Jenna could probably handle playing with them, he didn't think they'd hold Lindsey's attention for very long.

"When I talked to Catherine, she mentioned bringing Lindsey's slip and slide since it's warming up quite a bit today, plus any of those games that kids come up with. They'll keep themselves occupied." Nick replied as he stepped up behind Greg. He kissed the back of the neck in front of him before turning to the sink to rinse and peel his potatoes.

"I hope so." Greg said, just as the doorbell rang. He wiped his hands on a towel as he walked to the front door. He wondered a bit about who had arrived since Elijah would just barge right in. Peering through the peephole, he grinned and stood back to open the door.

Bobby, his partner Randy, and Jenna stood there with their arms all loaded down with various things, "Hey Greg. I hope we're not too early." Bobby said, as he stepped into the house.

"Nah, just the first to arrive. You can go drop the stuff off in the fridge." Greg closed the door behind Randy and eyed the extra items brought, "That looks like more than the fruit salads."

Randy shrugged and pushed his glasses up his nose, "Blame Jenna. She said we absolutely had to have Bobby's potatoes." He handed Greg a mesh beach bag that was covered with a beach blanket, "We also brought some squirt guns and water balloons."

Greg laughed and started back towards the kitchen, "Between those and the slip and slide Catherine is bringing, one would think it's July not May."

-----

Greg dumped another twelve pack of soda into the cooler that was sitting on the built in bench by the back door as he looked around the yard, taking in his friends and co-workers.

He was feeling a bit shocked at how a few of them were acting, compared to how he was used to seeing them at work. Even when he had joined them at the bar those few times, he had usually left to go home to Elijah before he had a chance to see them shed their work 'persona's.'

Sara, for all his flirting with her at work, had always seemed to be a bit aloof towards pretty much everyone except for Grissom and Catherine. Now though, she was running around the huge backyard with Elijah, Lindsey, Jenna and Cameron. Cameron, who was Archie's six-year-old niece, had been feeling pretty insecure about all the new faces until Sara pulled her into the fun.

Sara was sort of herding the kids towards the small fence Greg had put up to edge off the main yard, which was where Grissom and Brass were standing with water guns in hand. They were squirting the children if they came to close to some sort of invisible line that had been set up by the two men. All four kids were soaked to the skin and extremely giddy. None of them had eaten yet, but Greg was betting that as soon as they were full, all four of them would crash hard.

Just as he was about to turn to look away, he saw Sara get into the line of fire in front of Grissom and he cringed at her shriek of surprise. His eyebrow's then shot up to his hairline as Sara grabbed the squirt gun from Brass and began shooting at Grissom. Even the kids had stopped to watch as Grissom took off running, attempting to shoot Sara over his shoulder with poor results.

Sara was fast, but she kept hitting wet patches in the grass, allowing Grissom to get a fair distance ahead of her. He stopped to catch his breath from the laughing and running combination and didn't notice Sara catching up to him or that she had hit another wet spot. She slid right into him and they both went down.

Greg's jaw dropped open as Sara landed on top of Grissom, faces barely inches apart. He then sucked in a breath when they didn't move right away and he began to mentally shout out at them to just kiss already. He was just about to yell it out loud when Sara pulled back and stood up, her wet shirt sticking to her chest and stomach. Greg suddenly wondered if it was wrong of him to be happy that it wasn't a white shirt that she was wearing.

He finally pulled his eyes away from the shocking scene and looked over to the patio at the top of the small incline in the yard. The patio was something Greg had built just after moving out here to help him relax after the almost nervous breakdown he had over Elijah and the woman who birthed his child. It was a hidden hobby of his to design and build things, such as the glass topped trellis over said patio. Even though science was his passion, architecture had come in a close second because of its need for math and proportions.

At the moment, Bobby, who was the only one who knew what Greg had built out of all the backyard hardscapes, was pointing out various details to an attentive Archie and Catherine. Both of them were trying to cajole out of Bobby the name of the builder because it was obvious to anyone looking that he knew.

Nick and Warrick were talking with Randy, who was amusing them with horror stories of the high schoolers he taught. They were standing around the picnic table, watching the kids even as they talked and laughed with each other.

Greg ripped up the box and threw it in the trashcan under the bench and turned around just in time to catch the small body of his son as he barreled down the slopping lawn towards him.

"daddy!" Elijah yelled, the word carried out and bouncy from the uneven path he was running.

Greg held the squirming boy out at arms length in an attempt stay somewhat dry, "What's up sproglet?"

"i 'ungwy."

Greg pulled Elijah close, deciding he really didn't care if he got wet or not when he saw out of his peripheral vision Warrick and Nick starting to set up the slip and slide, which was definitely something he wanted to use later, "I see. Does that mean you want something to eat then?"

Elijah nodded, sending his dripping wet fringe into his eyes, "yeah."

Greg bit his lip. Warrick and Nick were planning on firing up the grill in only a half an hours time, so he didn't want to feed Elijah too much only to have him stuff himself sick once the rest of the food was done, "Tell you what. Why don't I go get some of your grahams to hold you over until the rest of the foods ready. This way your tummy'll stop growling but you'll still be hungry enough to eat with the rest of us."

"k." Elijah said, not really caring one way or the other. He just wanted to eat something.

Greg brought him inside and pulled the box of graham crackers out of a cupboard. He opened it and pulled out a few, handing them to Elijah before putting the box away.

"Hey, is something wrong?"

Greg looked over at the nook, which held the doors that led outside, and smiled when he saw Nick leaning against the wall with his hands shoved in his pockets, "Nah. Eli's just getting hungry."

"We could always get the grill going..."

"Greg, where's your bathroom? Cammi is about to pee her pants." Archie asked as he ushered in the bouncing girl ahead of him.

Greg pushed Elijah towards Nick, "Take him back outside and watch him. If he goes to put the grahams on the ground take them from him. I'll take her if you want, Arch."

Archie shook his head, "I sorta have to go too, so..."

Greg nodded and led them to the small half bath that was just off of the main staircase, "You can find your way back, right?" he asked as he pointed to the small powder room. The look Archie gave him had him laughing all the way back outside.

Nick walked up to him and slipped his arm around his waist, "What's so funny, G?"

"Just Archie and...are you sure you should be doing that?" Greg asked, motioning towards the arm wrapped around him, "I mean..."

"Shh, just relax." Nick said, pressing his lips against Greg's ear, "I'm staking my claim."

Greg pulled his head away in order to turn to face Nick, "Excuse me?"

Nick shook his head as a smile started to form on his face, "Sara. She was asking if you were seeing anybody."

"So, you're just going to out us to the whole lab?"

Nick's smile vanished and he looked at Greg, the humor that had been in his voice was suddenly replaced with concern and worry, "Are you okay with that? I know it's a big step but..."

Greg shut Nick up with a kiss, "I was more worried about you than me. You are the one who has to work with them consistently."

"Most of our shift already knows about me. Melody Jenkins, she's the one who Holly Gribbs was eventually brought in to replace, got really pissed off when I dated her boyfriend. I didn't actually know he was dating her, but she outed me when we both found out about each other." Nick replied with a shrug.

"Huh." Greg said, managing to relax into Nick's hold after that information, "The things you learn." he then thought back on what Nick had said, "Sara was asking if I was seeing someone? Is that what you said?"

Nick nodded and ushered him along the open-aired hallway to the patio, dropping his arm to link his fingers with Greg's, "Yeah, although I think it has more to do with Elijah. She's really taken a shine to him."

Greg looked out over the yard and smiled as Sara dug her fingers into Elijah's squirming body, "I'll say and what do you mean Elijah? I'll have you know I'm a prime catch!" Greg said, pulling away from Nick in mock anger.

"I'll say." Nick said, throwing his own words back at him, a leer slowly forming on his face.

Greg gulped and took a step backwards, "Nick...Nick our co-workers are here." When Nick started walking towards him Greg muttered a near silent, "Shit." He whipped around on his heals and started running, heading towards Sara and Elijah, yelling for them to save him.

TBC...


	6. Chapter 5 June 2002

Again, thanks for the reviews...I get that this doesn't seem all that popular here on but thats okay. I'm still gunna post and hope for the best.

--,---

June

-----

Nick poked his head into the DNA lab before making his way to the break room. Greg was on the phone, writing away in a folder as he talked. As Nick looked his boyfriend over, he noticed shoe-less feet tapping away to the beat of some unheard song. He shook his head in amusement and was turning to leave when Greg caught sight of him, "He's right here, nana. Still want to talk to him?" Greg waved him in with one hand as he continued speaking, "Jeg vil...du også."

"She wants to talk to me?" Nick asked, feeling very confused as he stepped into the lab. He didn't even blink at the Norwegian flowing from Greg. He had heard it a couple of times in the past few weeks, although usually by way of swear words and mumbles when he was concentrating hard on something.

Greg nodded and held out the phone, "All I ask is that you don't laugh at her."

Nick quirked an eyebrow at this odd advice and accepted the phone, "Hello?"

//Hello Nick. How are you?//

Nick smiled, "I'm doing all right. How about you?"

//Fine, fine.// Nick could hear the smile in her voice//Listen close, child. The cow you see belongs to farm down the road. Take care not to hit it.//

"Don't...hit the cow. Okay..." Nick mused, managing to keep his voice serious. She sounded so...certain...about what she was saying that even though Greg had warned him not to laugh, he wouldn't have been able to anyway.

//Be a dear and return to farm. Owner very worried. I'll talk later. Goodbye.// With that, Krista hung up.

Nick set the phone on its hook and turned to Greg, "What was that about?"

Greg didn't bother to look up as he answered, "Nana's a psychic." he shrugged, "Told me she had a vision about you but didn't tell me what it was. Care to divulge?"

"What you heard is pretty much it. Don't hit the cow and she asked me to return it to its owner." Nick paused, "Greg, psychics are..."

Greg shook his head and interrupted, "Don't." He looked up at Nick with stern eyes, "She's honest."

Nick was still doubtful but didn't say much beyond, "Sure, okay." With that, he tugged on Greg's hair and walked out to start his break.

Four hours later, he was on his way back to the lab from the Newman's' residence, having taken a quick trip out there to go around the edge of the pool again. After his talk with Warrick earlier that morning in the lab, he wanted to double check that they hadn't missed anything.

He turned off the highway to avoid an accident that was about a mile ahead of him, not paying much attention to the direction he was heading. So it was a huge surprise to him when a large cow stepped out onto the road. He slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting the animal, Krista Hojem's voice echoing in his head like some kind of mantra.

"You've got to be kidding me." He threw the truck into park and climbed out. He walked over to the animal and saw that it had a rope dangling from around its neck that was frayed at the bottom. Looking around, he caught sight of a fence lining the road. Nick grabbed the rope and led the animal to the fence, tying it up for the moment.

He went back to the truck and got in. He put it back into drive and went down the road about half a mile before he came upon a gravel road with a weathered sign dangling next to it. He turned onto it and drove up to a farmhouse that was just as weathered as the sign by the entrance.

An older gentleman who was clad in a t-shirt, jeans and work boots, stepped out onto the front porch as Nick got out of the truck, "Excuse me sir, but I just ran across a cow about a mile that way. It belong to you?"

The man nodded, "Yeah, she's mine. Her rope broke and she slipped out when my back was turned. Was just about to go looking for her. Glad you found her though. Which way was she headed?"

"She was headed west along your property fence before she cut me off. I tied her up about a half a mile down."

The cow's owner held out his hand, which Nick shook, "Thanks. Hate to think of what would have happened it she had kept goin' or nobody else stopped."

"It's no problem, sir. Glad I could help." Nick went back to the truck and got in to start on his way back to the lab.

After arriving back and taking a few minutes to talk to Warrick, Nick decided to call it a day and made his way to the DNA lab to see Greg and to tell him what had happened.

"Greg? This may sound like a stupid question but..." Nick started as he walked into the lab, his eyes glued to the odd scene before him.

Greg looked up at him and glared, "Then don't ask." He sighed and looked down at his foot, which was resting on a chair that he had swiped from the break room, "Do you have any idea how much this sucks? It itch's like a bitch and the cream doesn't help that beyond the application."

Nick sat down on the chair and lifted Greg's foot to get a better look at it, "This is..."

"Gross? Disgusting? Absolutely horrible? All of the above?" Greg scowled and grabbed the Hydrocortisone tube off the counter, "While you're down there put this on it."

"I'm not going to catch anything am I?" Nick asked, even as he took the tube from Greg.

Greg scoffed and went back to his microscope, "Grissom thoughtfully infected me with a mildew rash. The mildew has been scrubbed off so no, I don't think you'll catch anything." He whimpered then as Nick applied the cream, happy for the few minutes of itch-free time he was going to get, "Now, if only that would last."

Nick gave Greg's calf a pat before resting his foot back on the chair and standing up, "Did you get the week of the fourth off?"

Greg glanced at Nick, "Yeah, even though I had to fight Cindy for it. That woman has claws, Nick."

Nick thought about the weekend DNA tech with a laugh. She was even shorter then Greg's mother and an absolute sweetheart. She was also a shy little red-head, but apparently wasn't afraid of showing her true colors off when forced to work more then she had too. That was probably because she had three kids all over the age of fifteen.

"Hopefully the marks won't last. You've been working a lot of singles for her lately, though, so I kinda think you deserve the time off." Nick replied.

"Yeah. Was there something you actually needed? Or are you here to bother me?" Greg asked as he removed the slide from the microscope and marked something down on a folder.

"Actually, I wanted to apologize."

Greg sighed and turned his full attention onto Nick, "Apologize? For what?"

Nick flushed slightly, "For not believing you about Krista. She was right."

"You...saw a cow?" Greg asked, "Where were you?" He turned back to the microscope and began straightening up his mess.

"Coming back from the scene. I detoured because of an accident on the highway."

Greg closed the folder and turned back to Nick, "So you really believe her, huh?"

"Yeah, well, the evidence is a bit hard to refute." Nick cocked his head, "You just about done?"

"Yup. I'm going to go home, give Elijah a kiss and have Rayne bring him to daycare today. Then, I think I'm going to soak in the tub for an hour." Because he was still watching Nick, he caught the slight blush that rose up along Nick's neck. He knew _what_ was causing it and couldn't help goading the man just a bit, "Nick? You okay? You're looking a bit flushed there."

"I'm fine." Nick cleared his throat and leaned against the table, "Looking for some company?"

-----

Elijah walked into the library, a sullen expression gracing his freckled face, "daddy whewe nicky?"

Greg looked up from his book, surprised that Elijah was awake. He had only been put down for his nap forty-five minutes ago, "Nick's at home sproglet."

"why he not hewe?" Elijah asked as he climbed up onto the well loved and very comfortable window seat that Greg was lounging on.

"He can't be here all the time, Elijah." Greg said, putting his book to the side and pulling his son onto his lap. Elijah just stared at him and he sighed, "Really, babe, he has to go home sometime."

Elijah shook his head vehemently, "nicky no go home. dun't 'ike goin'."

Greg stared at him, a bit confused, "What do you mean he doesn't like going home?"

"bad man. nicky no 'ike."

Greg's eyes widened as he realized just what Elijah was talking about, "He told you this?"

Elijah shrugged and wrapped his arms around Greg's neck, "want nicky hewe. him feel safe 'gain." he whispered as he drifted back off to sleep.

"Oh, he'll feel safe again. _After_ I kick his butt." Greg stood up and limped up the stairs to deposit Elijah on his bed before carefully making his way to his room. It had been two freaking day's since he had been Grissom's guinea pig and his foot was still red and irritated, although thankfully the itching had subsided. He contemplated putting some more cream on it but his anger was taking precedent at the moment.

He grabbed his cell phone off the dresser and punched in Nick's speed dial. It rang twice before Nick picked up, voice hoarse from sleep and yet he sounded amazingly awake at the same time//'Lo?//

"Cut the crap, Stokes. I know you're awake."

//Greg?// Nick asked, voice much clearer then had been a few seconds ago and Greg mentally congratulated himself on calling Nick's little scheme so early.

"Yeah. You have half an hour to pack some clothes and get your ass over here. Capiche?"

//Greg what...//

Greg snapped his phone shut, hanging up on Nick. He was so upset at both himself and at Nick that rational thought was just about to fly out of the proverbial window. The only thing allowing him to keep rein of it was thoughts of the three-year-old napping peacefully down the hall.

How the hell could Nick not have told him that he wasn't comfortable going home? And how the hell could he have not picked up on it? Here he was, spending nearly night and day with the man, watching him fall asleep on one of the couch's in the family room or the couch's in the media room at the drop of a hat, not thinking anything of it because CSI's don't have easy jobs, right? He never really paid close attention to the black shadows growing under the brown eye's or the shoulders that were starting to droop as weariness and lack of sleep pressed down on him. And he claimed to love the man! Even if it was only in his own head at the moment.

Greg snorted to himself and left his room. He practically hopped down the stairs and made his way to the music room to watch for Nick.

Now that he thought back, he could clearly see the signs that had been so glaringly obvious that Nick was not comfortable in his own home. Coming over to his place after work, hesitating to leave when he felt he had too. Greg had not once told Nick to leave and had in fact asked him to stay plenty of times. It was something Nick didn't take him up on often, claiming that they both needed some sort of space to keep from feeling over-crowded with each other.

Of course, at the time Greg had agreed, even if it had been some what reluctantly. It was his own stupid fault for not telling Nick how deep his feelings already ran and that he really wanted to feel over-crowded by him. Oh but now...now he was going to push and push hard.

Greg saw the black Tahoe turning onto the drive and he glanced at the clock in the living room. Only twenty minutes had passed. Nick must have picked up on how angry he was. He limped his way to the front door, opened it and stood there with his arms crossed as he watched Nick park in the porte cochere.

When Nick came into view a few seconds later, Greg had expected him to look angry at the way Greg was acting but instead only confusion was visible on his face. Greg stepped to the side as Nick came up the steps to the porch but didn't say anything. Apparently, Nick could read something on his face, because he just walked right past him and went straight for the family room with Greg following after he shut the door.

They just stood there staring at one another in front of the fireplace. After a few moments, Nick couldn't take the silence anymore, "What's going on?"

"Why didn't you _tell_ me?" Greg countered, crossing his arms again. He was still angry, but a bit of hurt was slowly climbing its way in. As much as he wanted to, he found that he couldn't bring himself to look away from Nick and he knew the man standing across from him could see both of the emotions he was feeling at the moment.

If anything, Nick's look of confusion only seemed to deepen, "Tell you what?"

"That you don't like going home, for starters. Damn it Nick, I had to find out from Elijah when it was something you should have told me." Greg replied, his voice hitching from the hurt and the need to keep his voice down below screaming level.

"Jesus. Is that what this is about? I'm fine Greg." Nick said, though he couldn't quite meet Greg's eyes.

"You are not fine. When was the last time you got a decent amount of sleep? Because there is no way those naps you take here can hold you for this long."

"What the hell should I have said? Besides, it's not like you noticed." Nick's normally soft Texas drawl was becoming a lot more pronounced and Greg realized that it was because he was starting to get angry as well.

Nick's words caused Greg to scowl, "Oh believe me, I'm kicking myself for that now but if you had just said _something_..."

"Then you would have offered me a place to stay. I get that! Don't you think I haven't thought about saying something? But Christ Greg, we've only been together for near two months. It's too early to..."

Greg flung a pillow at Nick, the softest thing he could grab within reaching distance, not particularly caring at the moment when it struck Nick on the side of the head, "I love you, you dip shit, so don't you dare tell me that it's too damned early."

Both men froze then at Greg's heat of the moment declaration and stared at each other once more in a near mirror of their positions from the start of the fight. The only difference being that Greg was covering his own mouth and both men's eyes were wide.

Greg pulled his hand away slowly, "I..."

"You..." Both of them spoke at the same time and that seemed to break the tension that had been building up again. Nick cleared his throat, "You love me?"

Greg nodded a bit reluctantly, "Yeah."

Nick seemed to deflate like a balloon and he dropped down onto the couch behind him, "Wow."

"Yeah." Greg said again and chuckled, even though it sounded a bit hysterical.

"Well," Nick looked up at Greg, "I can see why you'd be upset now. This must have looked like I didn't trust you or something."

Greg looked away, not wanting to answer, but his action spoke louder than words.

"Greg." Nick's voice was coaxing him to look at him and after gathering the courage to do so, turned to face him again, "You just spent the last few weeks running ragged about Elijah. I wasn't about to add my own problems into that mix."

Greg conceded that point and dropped onto the chair behind him. Elijah had come down with the chicken pox shortly after they had had their barbecue. It had been a nasty case of it, with a high fever as well as swelling in his throat. There was still something about this whole situation, however, that was bothering him, "Nick, it was the middle of April when that happened to you, not the middle of May. What about that whole month beforehand?"

Nick sighed and ran his hand through his hair, "I thought about it. Lot's of times, actually, but something always seemed to come up just as I got the courage to do so and then suddenly, Elijah came down with the chicken pox and what I was going through went on the back burner."

Greg stood up and went over to Nick. He pulled the mans arms down and sat down, straddling Nick's lap. He rested his elbows on Nick's shoulders, threaded his fingers through the short, dark strands of hair and then just sat there, staring into Nick's eyes for a moment, reveling in the feeling that he was able to do this and no one else could.

"Move in with me." His voice was low and had a husky quality to it. He could barely hear himself say it but it had been audible.

Nick's eyes widened and his fingers gripped the back of Greg's t-shirt where he had rested his hands when the lab-rat had sat down, "What?" He whispered, not much louder then Greg's own question had been.

Greg tightened his fingers slightly and tipped Nick's head back a bit so they were looking at each other straight on, "You heard me Stokes. Move. In. With. Me." He punctuated each word with a slight tug to the hair he was gripping, "We don't have to share a room or anything, just..."

He was silenced as Nick surged up and kissed him. The kiss was heady, wet, and completely unlike any that they had shared prior to this afternoon. Greg was instantly addicted to it and he dropped his hands to grab at Nick's shoulders while keeping his arms around Nick's neck. He shivered as Nick's arms tightened around him, one hand sliding up to his shoulder, the other down to the side of his stomach. Nick's positioning had pulled Greg in tight and left them flushed together from the chest down to their groins.

When they pulled apart to breath, their locked positions barely allowed them an inch of air between their swollen mouths, "Was that a yes?" Greg asked between gasps.

"God yes." Nick replied, before leaning up to kiss him again. Neither noticed the small boy peaking through the archway or his happy smile as he turned around and went back upstairs.

-----

Greg pushed open the doors to the one bedroom in the house that wasn't used that often. Granted, his parents did use it when they visited, but he'd been thinking about building a guest house out on some of the unused yard anyway, "Here we go. It's not decorated much or anything, because it's always been a guest room but..."

Nick pressed his fingers to Greg's mouth and stepped around him into the bedroom, "There's a fireplace in here. That's cool. I also like the round nook over there." Nick pointed to the area he was talking about, "Look at the light coming in from all those windows." He eyed it for a moment before turning to look at the queen sized bed sitting against the wall, which also held the doorway leading to the small en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet, "Can we move the bed out of here?"

Greg raised both of his eyebrows, "Why? You're gunna need something to sleep on, aren't you?"

"G, while I agreed that I'd need a space of my own to retreat to when I needed it, I was still planning on sharing a bed with you. Unless you don't want me to." Nick crossed his arms and looked at Greg.

Greg could see the playful glint in the dark brown eyes and decided to play along, "I dunno Stokes. I don't just share my bed with anyone you know."

Nick dropped his arms and moved into Greg's personal space, "Really? So what can I do to convince you to let me in it?" he asked. He reached up and began a light massage to Greg's shoulders.

Greg groaned, "That's one way..."

Nick ran his hands up to frame the back of Greg's neck, preparing to kiss him. Just as he was leaning forward to do so, a pounding of small feet and a small body slamming into their legs kept him from his goal.

"daddy, nicky...unca wicks ou'side." Elijah said, trying to climb up Nick's jeans.

Nick rested his forehead against Greg's for a moment as they both chuckled. He kissed Greg's nose and pulled away, looking down at the grinning face gazing back up at them. He tapped Elijah's button nose with his finger before stepping far enough away to pick the boy up, "Warrick's outside huh? Cool. He can help me move the bed and dresser down to the storage garage."

Greg rolled his eyes and started out of the room to let their friend in, "Oh like I couldn't have."

"I never said that G." Nick said, following him.

"No, but you implied it. I'm strong. I've got muscles." Greg flexed his arm as they started down the stairs and then frowned when only a small bump of muscle appeared, "Well, I'm stronger than I look."

"I'm sure you are." Nick kissed Greg's cheek before stepping around him to open the door, "Hey man."

Warrick grinned, "Yo. Heard you were lookin' for a little help." He saw Greg over Nick's shoulder and his grin widened. Greg's eyes were narrowing and honed in on the back of Nick's head.

Nick leaned forward, "He's glaring at me, isn't he?" He whispered, a grin on his own face.

"Oh yeah. Death glare level three, man. You have got to stop winding him up." Warrick held out his arms to Elijah, "Come here, little man, give me some lovin'."

Elijah laughed and scrambled out of Nick's arms, who winced as a sneaker scrapped along his inner arm. Elijah wrapped his arms tight around Warrick's neck and squeezed as hard as he could before pulling away and scanning the front yard over the black man's shoulder, "lindy?" he asked, hoping his new friend had come along as well.

"Lindsey's at her grandmas for the day."

Elijah slumped down in Warrick's arms and crossed his own over his chest, "awww."

At Nick and Greg's curious looks at that bit of information, Warrick stepped into the house fully and shut the door, "Cath had to work a double. If I had known you two were going to be carting Eli around during all of this, I would have brought Lindsey. They could have kept each other company."

"Still not a bad idea if you want to swing around and pick her up during one of the trips between. Rayne and Mark are with their daughter otherwise he'd be with them." Nick smiled at Elijah and ran a hand through the red hair as the three-year-old stuck out his tongue, "We've got a bed and dresser to move first though."

This reminded Greg that he was supposed to be angry at Nick and he scowled, "I'll go strip the bed. Excuse me."

"Remember when I said to stop winding him up?" Warrick asked, setting a squirming Elijah down on the ground, "Ignore that. He's funny when he's in a snit."

Nick snorted, "Why do you think I do it?" He said as they both started up the stairs after the Sander's men.

-----

"Man, between my furniture and the stuff from that room, this place is going to be packed tight." Nick said, as he looked around the garage that was used as a storage room. He wiped the sweat off of his face and used his hip to press the wrapped mattress closer to the wall.

"I can't believe Greggo has a poker table in here." Warrick said, running his hands along the beige colored felt, "This thing is...is that a foosball table?"

Nick looked up from where he was stacking boxes. He followed Warrick's adoring gaze and grinned, "Yeah. That used to be out on the patio when Greg was younger but him and Lauren, Rayne's daughter, lost the balls so it was moved in here."

Warrick shook his head in amazement and went back to the reason they were in the garage, "Well, I don't think we can get much more free space in here right now. Luckily, we have the rafters to use as storage also."

Nick stood up and went to the door, "Yeah. There's also an empty storage room at the top of those stairs that we can use too."

Greg looked up as they walked into the kitchen, "You going to find the room you need?" He asked, closing the magazine he had been looking at.

"Yeah, should have no problem. Just came to get something to drink before we start moving boxes upstairs." Nick grabbed a pitcher of iced tea out of the fridge, "Where are the kids?"

Greg pointed at the window, "Trying to dig their way to china."

Both Warrick and Nick's eyebrows rose in curiosity and they walked around the island to look out the window over the sink. Sure enough, both kids were covered in dirt and standing ankle deep in a wide hole, "Hoo-boy, G, Mark is going to kill you." Nick said. He pulled down three glasses as he watched Lindsey and Elijah dig away with little hand trowels Greg had given them.

Greg snorted and accepted the glass Nick handed him after it was filled with the tea, "I told them to dig there because Mark was planning on putting a tree in that spot sometime this summer anyway. It gives him a head start on tilling the dirt." Greg lift his glass to take a drink but paused when the rim touched his lip, "How did I get stuck as babysitter, anyway?"

"Your kid, Greggo. But look at it this way," Warrick set his glass by the sink and clapped Greg on the shoulder as he passed by, headed towards the front of the house, "You get out of the sweaty work of hauling."

"Sure, sure, but I get the dirty work of two kids who are going to need baths before dinner_and_ said dinner needs to be cooked." Greg replied. It had come out more as a mumble and so neither man leaving the kitchen heard him. He sighed and stood with a stretch, figuring now would be as good a time as any to figure out what to make for dinner.

He headed out the back door and just jumped the bench instead of walking the length of the walk-way to get to the kids, "How's it going?"

Both kids stopped their digging and looked up with grins, "Good! We're hitting darker dirt." Lindsey said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

Greg winced at the dark smudge that was left behind. He was suddenly very grateful that Catherine's mom had put Lindsey's hair back into a ponytail sometime prior to Warrick picking her up. The less dirt in Lindsey's long, blond hair, the less work it meant for him.

"daddy look! I foun' dat." Elijah said, pushing the item towards Greg.

Greg picked it up and grinned, "You found a silver dollar, sproglet. Cool." He ran his thumb over the coin to wipe away the dirt and then froze in shock, "Oh my God." He looked at the kids who were staring up at him, confused, "You two keep playing. I have to go check something, okay?"

Both kids nodded and shrugged at the same time as they turned their attention back to the hole, Lindsey already pointing out where Elijah should dig next.

Greg ran back to the house, jumping the bench and barreling through the doors. He detoured through the office, which was right next the family room and slid into the library. Looking over the shelves that bordered the wall next to the staircase, he found what he was looking for and ran back to the kitchen.

He turned on the water and very carefully washed the dirt and grime accumulated on the silver dollar, revealing the picture and dates inscribed on the coin. It was old, minted in eighteen seventy-three, and the pictures were of an eagle and lady liberty sitting. Flipping through the book he had dropped on the island, his mouth dropped open.

Elijah had found an eighteen seventy-three trade dollar. It was a coin that could range in price anywhere from a hundred dollars to over a thousand. It wasn't an extremely rare coin, as close to four hundred thousand had been minted for circulation, but it was still old and hard to find.

Greg twirled the coin in his fingers. Brief scenarios flitted through his mind as he wondered how it came to be in his back yard, but none stuck. Coins traveled and could show up in the weirdest of spots, so it wasn't something he needed to dwell on. What he needed to figure out was what to do with the coin. He could have it appraised but then there was a good chance that if it _was_ worth money, he would end up having to deal with a pushy coin collector trying to get their grubby paws on it.

His best bet and the safest scenario would be to set it aside with his own collection for Elijah when he got older. If his son decided he didn't want to have a coin collection, Elijah could sell it off when he could spend the money received from the sale responsibly.

Going with that choice, he closed the book and grabbed the coin, slipping it into his pocket. He then went back outside to see what the kids wanted for dinner...again.

TBC...

Norwegian in this chapter translates to: ( Jeg vil...du også // I will...me too. ) Or so the translating site informed me. If it's wrong, blame it not me.

Let me know what you think? Thanks!


	7. Chapter 6 June 2002

Wahoo! Another chapter! I tell ya, my friend is on a roll with her story. Be happy people!

Thanks for the reviews!

---,---

June

-----

Nick shut the door leading from the garage into the mudroom with a sigh. He hated working doubles. His case the night before hadn't been anything particularly bad, per se, but there had been a lot of evidence to collect, not to mention sorting through it all. He had cursed Greg thoroughly for having the night off every time he left the DNA lab. Cindy had been in a particularly foul mood all night.

He dropped down onto the bench along the wall to pull off his boots and then groaned once they were off. New boots sucked to work in and he hoped they broke in soon. He wasn't liking how close he was to getting blisters.

The house was oddly quiet as he went into the kitchen and he wondered if Greg was asleep. Joining him if he was was a fantastic idea in his mind, but he was hungry and knew a growling stomach would just keep him awake.

He rubbed his hand over his face as he cracked open the door of the fridge. He dropped his hand and grinned. Someone had left a beautifully made sandwich on the shelf and he wasn't about to pass it up. He grabbed the plate it was on as well as a container of homemade dip for the chips he was already thinking of inhaling.

Once he had his food all settled with a glass of lemonade to go along with it, he decided he didn't want to eat alone. He knew Greg was going to bitch about bringing such crumbly food into the bedroom, but it would be worth it to just have some companionship, no matter if said companion was sleeping or not.

He climbed the stairs and crossed the landing to their room and knocked the ajar door open with his hip, both of his hands too full to open it properly. He stopped short about four steps into the brightly lit room and took in the empty bed and open black out curtains with dismay.

Nick walked back out and paused to think of where his wayward boyfriend might just be. He was home, that much was obvious, since his car was in the garage. Greg was picky about where he slept and if he was awake, there would be noise coming from _somewhere_ in the house.

He wandered down the hallway, heading for the playroom, thinking maybe Greg had kept Elijah home today from daycare. It was as he got closer to the media room, though, that he started to hear loud explosions coming from beyond the closed double doors. He balanced his plate on his arm and pushed open one of the doors.

There was Greg, wrapped up in a blanket and munching on popcorn. He was staring at the screen with wide eyes and Nick turned to see just what had the lab rat so enthralled.

Cartoons. His boyfriend was watching cartoons. While he could see Greg watching Disney or something of that nature with Elijah present, this was just a bit too weird.

He shut the door and went to the closest couch, dropping down into the seat next to Greg. He dropped a kiss to Greg's cheek even as he placed his plate on the wide arm rest, "Hey babe." he said, smiling when Greg turned to look at him.

"Hey Nick." Greg's eyes swiveled back to the screen and his mouth dropped open, "What the..."

Nick looked as well and raised an eyebrow, "What in the world are you watching G?"

"Endless Waltz. I just got it today. I can't believe Heero just did that! Why did he punch Duo...oh, decoy. Smart."

"Do I want to know why you're watching cartoons?" Nick asked, lifting his hefty sandwich to take a bite.

Greg chucked a piece of popcorn at him without even looking. Nick had to admit his aim was pretty good. He picked the stray piece off his sandwich and popped it in his mouth.

"It's not _cartoons_ Nick. It's anime." Greg replied.

Nick looked at Greg, then at the large screen, before looking back at Greg, "There's a difference?"

-----

Greg turned off the movie player and smiled softly to himself as he adjusted his right arm slightly. Nick was out like a light, despite the loud explosions that had played on the screen for the last half hour of the movie. It amused him somewhat at how Nick could sleep through such racket and it also warmed his heart that he was trusted enough for Nick to get that deep into sleep.

The first few days of Nick living with him hadn't been easy, as Nick had still been experiencing nightmares from dealing with Crane. Every time the Texan had jumped awake, Greg would follow because of the bed shake that the jumping had caused. Greg would then soothe Nick back to sleep but he could never find it in himself to fall back to sleep as well.

Now that the nightmares were few and far between, Greg was finally getting more sleep. He had been crabby at work during that first week, kicking people out of his lab and snapping at others for little things. It had amused Warrick and Bobby to no end and they had wound up causing most of his outbursts because of it.

Greg carded his fingers through Nick's hair and thought about the upcoming week. He was getting anxious about going to Texas. In fact, it was because of the upcoming trip that Nick had finally found out that his inheritance had been more than just the house and the land it was on, though he still hadn't informed Nick on how much money was sitting in his various accounts.

He wasn't even sure exactly how much money Nick had thought he had, as he didn't ask, but with the property taxes, the utilities, the money paid out to Mark for both doing the work and taking care of the expenses for the yard, and what he paid Rayne for her combination babysitting and house cleaning job, there was no way he could afford such an extravagant place on his salary. He was glad, however, that there was no mortgage on the house, which helped save some of his money. Not that he actually had to worry about that.

Thinking back, the look on Nick's face had been priceless. Almost as good as it had been when he had given Nick the tour of the house for the first time. They had then gone on to agree, eventually, about splitting the bills for just about everything. Greg hadn't been particularly happy about that, as some of his bills weren't exactly on the small side, but Nick started going on about fairness since he was living there as well now. All of that because he had offered to pay for a couple of plane tickets.

He leaned down and began kissing Nick's face, starting at his forehead and making his way down to Nick's mouth. It took a few minutes, but eventually Nick began to stir under his ministrations.

He sighed as Nick began to kiss back and then pulled away, "Don't you think you'd be more comfortable in bed?" He asked and squeezed Nick's bicep before pulling away.

Nick sat up and cracked his neck, "Probably."

Greg snorted and climbed to his feet, "Go on then. I'll run the bowl and plate down to the kitchen and check the locks."

"Thanks G." Nick said, standing as well. He pulled Greg close and kissed him, keeping it soft so as not to arouse. He was too tired to do anything but make it to the bed.

Greg pushed Nick away gently and laughed, "Go. I'll be there in a few."

Nick nodded and stumbled out of the room, eyes already half mast at the thought of the comfortable king sized bed waiting for him.

Greg straightened up the room as best he could to lessen Rayne's ire and took the dishes downstairs. He rarely used the upstairs dishwasher, mainly because he had two sets of dishes in the kitchenette off the playroom and didn't need to add the downstairs ones as well. He would also never remember to bring them back down if he did.

After a quick check on the alarm, he headed back upstairs, looking forward to sleep.

-----

Nick snuck out of bed and pulled the blanket and comforter back up over Greg. Because it was June and temperatures were soaring outside, the air conditioner was on full blast, making for very cold air inside. After brushing his lips over Greg's temple, he slipped into the bathroom to take care of his 'morning' ablutions.

After dressing, he made his way down to the kitchen. It wasn't that late in the day, only around one, but he decided being a little tired at work that night would be worth it because of the fact that this Sunday was a special day. Even on the weekends, they were up at night to keep from throwing off their sleep schedules. The only difference being that Rayne often took Elijah on Saturdays and Sundays while they slept instead of them carting him to daycare.

He smiled when Rayne met him at the doorway with a cup of coffee, "Where is he?"

"Oh honey, I had to keep him outside! That kid has been wired since I explained what today was." Rayne said, pressing the mug into his hand, "Now that you're up, I have to go. Lauren's having us and Chris' parents over for dinner and I offered to make a few dishes for her."

Nick leaned in and kissed Rayne's cheek, "Have fun, tell Lauren we said hi." He had only actually met Rayne's daughter once, at Elijah's birthday party, but it was obvious to him at least, that she and Greg had grown up together. There was barely an age difference between the two, maybe only a year but no more, and their personalities were very similar. Lauren was hyper and loud, even while pregnant, which she had been at the time.

"I always do, honey, even when you don't." Rayne laughed and grabbed her bag, "I'll head out through the side door. Maybe that'll keep Elijah from barreling inside and waking up Greg."

"Good idea. See you tonight."

Once Rayne was gone, Nick set his coffee mug down by the sink and went outside. He stood by the bench and watched with a soft smile as the toddler ran around the yard, chasing after a red ball that he kept kicking away from himself. Nick figured that the kicks, which were giving the ball fairly good distances, were accidents on Elijah's part. He had tried to play a two person version of kickball with him not long ago and the three-year-old had missed the ball most of the time and landed on his butt.

After a few minutes, Elijah caught sight of Nick and let out a healthy squeal before running towards him at full speed, ball forgotten, "nicky!"

Nick swung him up through the air before dropping him down onto his hip, "So, Rayne told you what today is?"

Elijah nodded wildly, "fadders day! speshil daddy day!"

"That's right. So, daddy's going to be sleeping for another two hours or so, unless we wake him up. First though, we need to go and get him a gift and a card."

"k!" Elijah settled against Nick and rubbed the bridge of his nose, a trait he had picked up from his father that Nick loved to see. It was...enduring when both of the Sanders men did it, "what get?"

"Ah, well...I don't know." Nick shrugged and started for the garage, "Hey, what's daddy's favorite breakfast food? I know he eats a lot of eggs and bacon, but there's gotta be something else."

Elijah's smile, which had dimmed at the thought of what to get his dad, suddenly grew to epic proportions, "kwingle! love lotses."

"Kringle..." Nick trailed off. He had no idea what the hell that was, but he knew someone who would. After he strapped Elijah into his car seat in the backseat of the Tahoe, he pulled out his cell and thumbed through his contacts list. Hitting the call button, he held the phone to his ear.

//Grissom.//

"Gris? It's Nick."

//Nick? It's one o'clock. A little early yet.//

Nick slid into the Tahoe and frowned, "Did I wake you?"

He heard a stifled yawn before his boss answered//Actually, I haven't been to bed yet. What can I do for you?//

"I have a question and figured you'd be the best person to ask."

//Okay, what's the question?//

"What the heck is Kringle?"

After Grissom explained what the dish was, a danish coffee cake of sorts, and where in the city to find it, Nick pulled out of the garage and made his way to the mall. He decided to stop at one of the bakeries near the house to get the Kringle on the way home.

Nick pulled into the mall's parking lot and found a parking spot near the back. For it being Father's Day, the place was amazingly packed. After releasing Elijah from his car seat, he swung the toddler up onto his shoulders and went inside. He went first to Hallmark to pick out a card. Elijah had fun, leaning over with his chest resting on his own leg and against Nick's head, pointing at various cards for Nick to read out loud to him.

After going through about fifteen cards, Elijah finally picked one that he liked. Oddly enough, or maybe not so odd, it was the first one Nick had read. On the cover was a cartoon dog and puppy, done up in blue with white spots and the caption read, 'From your son , We're two neat guys, we're two awesome dudes, we're cool and we have attitudes...' The inside was blank except for the continuation of the verse which read, 'But best of all, our lives are fun – cause you're my dad and I'm your son.'

Nick had been fretting about a gift for them to pick out for the young father, but Elijah had taken care of that one with ease. They had window shopped along the way back to the truck and Elijah found the 'bestest gift' displayed in the window of a store near the entrance they had taken.

Now, they were standing in the bakery that was a few miles from the house, staring at the menu behind the counter that was displaying the different varieties of baked goods. Elijah was comfortably ensconced in Nick's arms, his eyes glued to the case off to the left which held the frosted cookies.

"I'll get you one, little man, but we have to pick out the Kringle for daddy." Nick said with a thoughtful frown.

"dat one." Elijah said, pointing to the right of the menu, where two flavors of Kringle were displayed by a picture.

Nick read the flavors and shrugged. It sounded okay to him. He stepped up to the counter and placed the order for the Kringle, as well as ordering three of the heavily frosted cookies. The wait for the Kringle wasn't long, barely fifteen minutes, and after their order was wrapped, they were back at the house within a half an hour.

Elijah bounced at the island while Nick placed the present in a gift bag and dug out a pen from the junk drawer. He then helped Elijah sign his name to the spot on the front of the card they had found and wrote a small message inside and helped Elijah sign his name a second time. After slipping the card inside its envelope, he cut up the two Kringle, making up three plates. He and Elijah hadn't eaten that afternoon and both were hungry as well.

Nick placed the plates on a serving tray he found in the pantry along with two glasses of milk and Elijah's sippy cup. He handed Elijah the gift bag and the two of them made their way upstairs to the bedroom. Peaking through the door, they saw that Greg was still asleep, arms spread wide across the bed and his legs tangled up in the blankets.

After setting the tray on the end table, Nick nodded his head at the toddler. Elijah let out a squeal and jumped onto the bed and consequently, onto Greg.

Greg's eyes flew open as he let out a grunt from the impact. His eyes narrowed when they landed on his son and he set about tickling the toddler off of his chest. He laughed along with Elijah and managed to roll them onto their sides so Greg was facing Nick and the table. His eyes widened when they fell on the tray and he shot upwards so he was sitting, eyes glued still on the tray, "Nick...is that..."

Nick smiled, "Kringle."

"How in the world did you..." Greg trailed off, his mouth gaping. He hadn't had Kringle since his nana had made it the last time he had been home to San Francisco. It wasn't a common dish for him, since the dough took nearly three days and a crap load of butter to make.

"Found a bakery here that made it." Nick sat down on the bed, bracketing Elijah between the two men. He lifted the tray and set it on Greg's lap.

"happy fadders day!" Elijah said, hugging Greg's arm.

Greg, who was in the process of lifting his glass of milk, paused, "Ah, fathers day?"

Nick slanted a look at Greg, "You forgot?"

"Oh yeah. I'll have to call my dad and papa later." Greg took a drink of his milk before smacking his lips, "So, cherry and pecan Kringle, my two absolute favorites. I think you two did good." He bit into one of his pecan slices with a moan of happiness. It had really been too long.

Nick watched as Greg and Elijah dug into the Kringle with gusto before looking down at his own plate. He wasn't a picky eater by any means, but it was always hard to try a new food. He picked up a frosted slice of the cherry Kringle and took a small bite off the end. He didn't get any of the filling or frosting, but the pastry was good. He took a bigger bite and nearly moaned along with Greg. It was really good.

Greg pushed the tray away with a happy sigh before turning to his son and boyfriend with raised eyebrows, "So? Where's my gift?"

Nick burped behind his fist as he dropped his plate onto the tray, "What makes you think we got you a gift, _daddy_?" He asked with a smirk.

Elijah scoffed, "got daddy pwesent, nicky." He scrambled to his hands and knees and crawled to the end of the edge of the bed to grab at the bag he had dropped before jumping onto the bed.

As the toddler dangled off the edge, Nick scoffed, "That kid can't take a joke." He paused, "...just to let you know, everything we did and got was his idea."

Greg smiled as Elijah dragged the bag onto the bed and to his dad, "hewe." he said, a big grin on his small face.

Greg took the bag, pulling out the card first. He laughed when he read it and then pressed a kiss to the top of Elijah's head before digging into the bag. He let out a whoop as he pulled the gift out and read the box, "Electronic chess! This is so awesome! Thanks sproglet!"

-----

Rayne walked into the house and let out a gasp as a small body collided with hers, "Elijah, sweetheart, Aunty Rayne's carrying some things that shouldn't be dropped. You have to be careful, honey."

Elijah muttered a "sowwy." before looking up at her lightly lined face, "daddy in kitshun. pwayin pway-do." He said, a grin stretching across his face.

"Really?" Rayne asked as she headed towards the door separating the mudroom from the kitchen, "What are you making?"

"kitty! daddy makin puppy. go woof!" He giggled and barged through the door. He ran back to his seat at the island and went back to sculpting his purple play-doh, tongue sticking out in concentration as he attempted to shape the head of his cat.

Greg looked up as Rayne set the bag on the counter, "My stuff?" He asked, sitting up straighter to try and peer into the bag.

"Yes." Rayne replied, as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go change your shirt and grab a rag."

"Yes ma'am." Greg said, saluting his 'aunt.' He got up and went out the door she had come through, heading for his room.

While he was changing, Rayne picked up the chunks of red play-doh spread out on Greg's side of the island, making sure to leave everything out but set off to the side. He would need something to do while waiting for the time to pass. Usually, he went for one of his puzzle books and she wasn't sure if he would this time or not, so the clean up was just in case he did.

She then turned to the bag and pulled out a small, square plastic bag and some latex gloves, both of which she set to the side. Next came a tall bottle of developer, a tube of blond hair dye, a tint brush, a pick and a metal bowl. Greg came back into the room as she carried the dye, bowl and developer to the sink to make the mixture.

As she got it going, Elijah let out a cough from the smell and announced he was going up to the playroom. Greg shook his head in amusement as the toddler all but ran from the room and turned slightly to pull the square package towards him, opening it once it was in front of him. He then groaned as he pulled it out, "Oh come on, Rayne. Why can't you use tinfoil or something?"

Rayne walked back over and dropped the bowl on the island, making Greg wince as metal collided with granite, "Because your hair is too short. Quite complaining. Nick's at work and Elijah is upstairs now. I don't have a camera so I'll be the only one to see you with it on."

Greg stared up at the woman he had called aunty his whole life and sighed. He pulled the hat onto his head and crossed his arms while silently telling himself he was not pouting.

"There's a good boy." Rayne said, grabbing up the pick. Greg stuck out his tongue in response.

Rayne spent the next ten minutes poking through the holes in the plastic cap and pulling strands of his hair through. She dutifully ignored each "ow" Greg let out and slapped his shoulder every time he tried to move away.

She had owned her own salon at one point in time and had always been the one to do his hair, his father claiming she was cheap, meaning free, and did good work. That also meant he would only get a hair cut at the beginning of summer when they visited his uncle, which had been fine with him. He had always had fun, and still did, trying to come up new hair styles when his hair got long during the winter months.

As she started to apply the dye to his hair, they heard the garage door shut and Nick's voice echo, "What the hell is that smell? Greg!" The Texan burst through the door and came to a halt immediately as his eyes settled on his boyfriend and Rayne. All the concern and worry that had been displayed on his face from when he had first smelled the developers peroxide faded away at the sight of Greg in a plastic cap with small tufts of hair poking through its holes and a petulant look on his face.

He pressed his lips together to ward off the laughter he could feel bubbling at the back of his throat. He then had to leave the room all together as Greg's eyes narrowed and darkened in irritation.

Greg groaned and went to bury his face in his arms, but Rayne poked him with a sharp finger nail, "Don't even think about it." She said, never stopping the application.

The only time she actually stopped before the brown locks were fully coated was when a flash came from the doorway by the fridge, "Nick Stokes!" Greg hollered, covering his face, "You're sleeping on the couch tonight."

Rayne rolled her eyes and went back to work, pretty much ignoring the two men.

Nick set the camera on the table and sat down at the island across from Greg, "Couldn't help it Greggo. You just look so ridiculous sitting there with that thing on your head."

"Oh yeah, so on the couch." Greg muttered, re-crossing his arms. He then looked up at Nick and cocked an eyebrow, "So?"

"So what?" Nick asked, head tilting to the side as he watched Rayne.

"Any takers? You said the open house ended at two and it's four now." Greg said. He accepted the timer Rayne pressed into his hands and watched her as she gathered the bowl and brush to rinse out in the sink in the mudroom.

"Yeah, there were some offers. Two of them were even over asking price." Nick replied. He motioned towards the cap, "Why are you dying your hair?"

"Highlighting or frosting or whatever you wanna call it. Was in the mood to do something different."

"Again."

"That was not my fault." Greg said, knowing which incident Nick was referring too.

"Greg, you know the saying 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me?' You played barber with Elijah twice. Ya think you would have learned not to do that after the first time." Nick said, grinning at the memory of the ever shortening locks of hair over his boyfriend's ears. The first time had happened before they were even together. He and Warrick had even made a bet about what had happened to the hair above Greg's ears. Sadly, neither of them won because, at the time, they didn't know about Elijah.

Greg twisted the cap off his soda and flung it at Nick. He watched it in dismay as it bounced against the broad chest and fell to the floor with the Texan barely acknowledging it. He sighed and pulled his puzzle book towards him, "Shut up." He mumbled as Nick started laughing, "I'm ignoring you now."

TBC...


	8. Chapter 7 July 2002

Here we are, a new chapter. Un-beta'd cause my friend copped out on me even tho she posted her chapter. The dork. Not happy with her. -sigh- Hope you all enjoy and thanks for reading.

-----

July

-----

Greg reached out and clasped Nick's arm, tugging him to a stop, "Nick? I'm nervous."

Nick turned and looked at Greg. He was holding a sleeping Elijah on one arm and the young boys weight was pulling the neck of Greg's t-shirt wide, leaving a very nice view of part of his collar bone and shoulder. Nick smiled at the sight, "What about, G?"

The look on Greg's face went from nervousness to disbelief, "Meeting your parents?" He drawled out, lengthening the words and turning it into a question.

Nick rolled his eyes and grabbed Greg's hand with his own free one, pulling him to the luggage return, "You have nothing to worry about. I survived meeting yours."

"We weren't exactly together when you met my parents, Nick. So that was less pressure on you." Greg said, following Nick reluctantly.

"Please," Nick scoffed lightly, "I wanted to date you and they knew it. So the pressure was there, thank you." He watched the return and when their luggage came into view, he pulled the three bags off of the conveyor belt. He shouldered the duffel they had used for Elijah's things and then passed Greg his suitcase. "Mom said they'd meet us by McDonald's." Nick added after a minute.

Greg raised an eyebrow and looked around. He never felt comfortable meeting up with people at large airports. In fact, whenever his parents came to visit, he had them call his cell once they reached the first phone they came to after leaving their gate. That way he could find them right away. This picking a place and going there wasn't cool if you didn't know the airport, "Good idea Nick. Where is it?"

"We'll check the directory." Nick said with a shrug, ignoring the sarcasm in Greg's voice. He ushered Greg towards the nearest one, "See here? McDonald's is by gate D33. Easy enough since we came out at D25."

Greg just shrugged, willing to let Nick take charge. They headed to their left and sure enough, after a few minutes of walking and dodging impatient holiday travelers, the golden arches came into their sight. As did, apparently, Nick's parents.

"Mama! Cisco!" Nick called out with a wave.

Greg's eyes followed where Nick was looking and caught sight of his boyfriends parents for the first time in person. Judge Stokes was tall and lean and from what he could see, he had a softer jaw line than Nick did.

Jillian Stokes was short compared to her husband but Greg couldn't determine her actual height at their distance. He could see red hair that had more of an orange tint to it than Elijah's, which was a rich auburn in color.

"Nick!" Jillian called back, waving as well.

As they got closer to his parents, Greg started to hang back and by the time they reached them, Greg was about five feet or so behind Nick and dragging his feet. He watched Nick greet and hug his mom and shake hands with his dad. He then gulped as the sharp hazel eyes of Judge Stokes zeroed in on him.

Nick seemed to know what his dad's gaze was settled on and turned around with a smile before giving an exasperated sigh, "Greg, get over here."

Greg once thought that Nick had an intense gaze and it used to take all his willpower not to turn away from it. Now, he was faced with the same intensity, except it was from three Stokes instead of just the one he was still getting used to. He managed to move closer to Nick, but still used him as a barricade from the couple.

Nick, realizing that that was as good as he was going to get at the moment, just shook his head and began the introductions, "Mama, Cisco, this is Greg and his son Elijah."

Jillian's smile was fast and furious as she held out her hand, "It's great to finally meet you Greg."

"You too, Mrs. Stokes." Greg said, accepting the hand. He looked at Nick's father who nodded his head at him in greeting, "Sir." he said, the sheepish grin he had been wearing faltering slightly as he watched the older man look him over.

Judge Stokes' gaze finally settled on Elijah, "Liam dug out the kids old car seat for you to use."

Nick nodded and re-shouldered the duffel bag, "That's good. We were worrying about that." He followed as his dad turned and headed for the exit. This left Greg walking with Jillian who had, it seemed, hung back to talk with him.

"Your son is adorable. How old is he again?" Jillian asked, reaching over to run her fingers through the red locks.

"Three. A very hyper three." Greg replied, smiling down at his sleeping son.

Jillian nodded and then said after a moment, "I loved the pictures Nick sent."

Greg's head whipped around so fast he almost gave himself whiplash, "Pictures? What pictures?"

"He didn't tell you he sent them?" Jillian asked, sounding surprised.

"Mrs. Stokes, I didn't even know he had taken any." Greg replied, looking at Nick who seemed to be speeding up to walk with his dad. Greg wondered if it was because he had overheard the conversation going on behind him.

As they stepped outside the terminal and headed towards the parking lot, Jillian began digging through her purse, even as she mumbled, "It's Jillian, Greg." She pulled out a black folder that looked almost like an address book and flipped it open to the back. She passed it to Greg and watched silently as he took it in.

The picture was from their trip to 'Bonnie Springs/Old Nevada' which surprised him somewhat, because while he could remember Warrick toting around a camera he really couldn't remember Nick having one. But this picture...he remembered falling asleep on the bench while Lindsey had been on her horse ride with Catherine and Warrick.

Elijah had dropped off first, sated from dinner and feeling warm and safe in his dads arms. Greg had just laid his head against his son's and let himself drift off as well. Nick had done an amazing job with it, angling the camera just so to have the setting sun in the background as well.

"Wow, this is..." Greg trailed off as Jillian turned the page and he found himself looking at Elijah's laughing face. His nose and cheeks were a bright red, causing his freckles to stand out even more. His hair was dripping wet and Greg, who was also drenched and dripping water, was sitting behind him, sculpting it up into spikes.

That one was from their barbecue. Greg could have sworn that Nick had been tending to the grill while he had been doing that. Again, Nick had caught the picture with an amazing background. He could just see the hose spraying water around the slip and slide, and there was a huge rainbow behind him from the mist that was floating in the air because of it.

"Those two are my favorite. I've got another one at home, with Elijah holding a baby chick, framed on the buffet." Jillian said, taking back the booklet, "And I want Nick to take one of the two of you up on a horse, since it'll be your first time."

Greg stopped walking and stared at her, "But...why?"

Jillian stopped as well and turned to face him, "Because my son loves you."

-----

Greg looked around the designated play area in awe. He had once thought his own house pretty amazing, but this was just intense, "Nick, I can't believe this."

Nick looked around, taking in the sky lights set over the indoor play area, encased by knotted pine beams, the mats covering the floor, as well as the plastic play house, "Mom's idea. Every time she got pregnant, she wanted another bedroom built around the play area so that everyones room would be off of this." He said, pointing out six doors, two on each wall, "By the time I came along, there was no more room to add on, so mom just kept me in the nursery and changed the décor as I got older."

Greg shook his head, "Wow." He dropped on to one of the chairs and watched as Elijah, who had woken up during the forty five minute trip to the ranch, ran and tumbled head over feet on the foam mats that seemed designated for that purpose.

Nick looked at his watch, "Up to meeting some of the other family members? They should be heading in for lunch about now."

"Sure." Greg said. He stood back up, "Eli! Come on sproglet."

Elijah's head popped up from behind a large, foam triangle, "dis fun daddy." He said as he climbed to his feet. He ran over to Greg and Nick, but bypassed his dad and went straight for Nick. He clasped one of Nicks large hands with his two small ones and dropped his weight down and lifted his feet, dangling in the air.

Nick laughed and lifted his arm, Elijah swinging like a pendulum, "Want up, little man?"

"yes, please." Elijah giggled.

Nick slid his arm under Elijah's thighs and freed his other hand gently from the toddlers grip. He reached out to grab Greg's hand and started to pull him out of the playroom, "Maybe we can get you two up on horses this afternoon. Mom said she didn't have anyone coming by for lessons and the kids usually spend the afternoons outside if its not storming."

Greg looked over at Nick, "What is it with you and horses?"

"Greg, I grew up around horses. You not having been on one is just...wrong to me." Nick replied as they turned down the short hallway leading into the kitchen.

Greg opened his mouth to reply but anything he might have said would have been overpowered by the three loud cries of, "Nick!" that rang out as they stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey guys!" Nick dropped Greg's hand as two red-heads started for him at high speeds. He caught each one in a hug as they reached him, "God, it's good to see you. Hey bro."

Greg was surprised to see that Liam and Nick looked nothing alike. Liam had their fathers height, and surprisingly enough, blond hair. He also had their fathers softer jaw line and slim build. The brown eyes were about the only thing the two siblings seemed to have in common when it came to their physical appearances.

"It has been too long, boy. You need to come home more often." Liam patted Nick on the shoulder and then grinned at Elijah, who had buried his face during Nick's hugs with his sisters, "Who's the squirt?"

Nick took a step back so he was at Greg's side again, "Guys, this is Greg and this little guy who is trying to find a hole in my neck is Elijah, his son."

Greg just smiled and nodded as all three Stokes chimed in greetings to him. He had no idea which sister was which and didn't want to make a fool of himself, so outside of murmuring a quiet, "Hi." He didn't say much else.

"Greg this is Liam, Lynn," Here, he pointed to the red-head who had her hair tied back into a high ponytail, "And Tasha." She was the shorter of the two, had a rounder face and a pixie hair cut.

"Where are Leslie and Noah?" He asked, referring to Liam and Lynn's spouses. He looked over their shoulders towards the large dining room where his mom was setting up lunch.

Liam laughed, "Tommy took a digger into one of the stalls, so Lie is getting him cleaned up."

"And Noah is rounding up the rest of the kids. They'll be here in a minute." Lynn said, "Come on in and get comfortable. Mama made hamburgers and corn on the cob." She linked arms with Greg, much to his surprise, and led him to the dining area.

Greg looked at the long table and just about dropped his jaw. There had to be close to fifteen chairs set around it and just next to it was a smaller table with just as many chairs, but on a smaller size scale.

"Crazy isn't it? With so many of us, mama kind of had to build outwards. Wait 'til you see it when everyone's here." Lynn said, catching sight of the look of bewilderment on Greg's face.

Greg looked at Nick, who smiled at him. He really couldn't figure out why Nick had been so surprised with his own home. If he had grown up around all of this, he knew he wouldn't have been. Then again, his house _was_ huge and he was shocked by what he saw now, so maybe he really did get Nick's reaction after all.

He reached out and poked Elijah's ticklish spot, smiling when Elijah giggled and tried to burrow closer to Nick, "Hey sproglet, don't you think it's time to come out and join the rest of us?"

Elijah shrugged, "lotsa people daddy."

"Sure are, but Mrs. Stokes made your favorites for lunch." Greg said, trying to entice Elijah out of hiding.

"It's Jillian, Greg." She reminded him as she breezed past them, heading for the kitchen.

"Right." Greg replied, smiling after her before looking back at his son, who was looking up at him, though his face was still turned towards Nick's neck, "C'mon babe. They're all of Nick's family and you like Nick, right?"

"luv nicky." Elijah said as he sat up straighter and took in the beaming faces around him. Then his eyes widened as six kids of varying ages slammed into the room ahead of a laughing black haired man. He whimpered and re-buried his face.

"Don't worry about it G." Nick said, sitting down, "I can feed him like this."

Greg sat in the chair next to him, "If you say so. I'll cut everything down for him so it'll be easier for you."

By the time everyone was sitting, it seemed they were just waiting on the head of the house before starting. Judge Stokes came in a minute later and took a seat at the head of the table before looking around at everybody, "What are you all waiting for?"

"You pops. We have guests." Liam said while pointing at Greg, "Thought it best to put on some manners."

Bill rolled his eyes, "It's lunch, not a formal dinner. Dig in already."

That said, everyone practically dove for a platter. Greg sat back and watched in amazement, choosing to ignore Nick's laughter.

"Nothing ever changes around here." Nick said and took hold of the plate of corn as his mother passed it to him.

-----

After lunch, Jillian shooed Nick, Greg and Elijah into the family room while she picked up the kitchen and dining room. The family room was right off of the dining room, and so both men seated themselves where they could still watch Jillian. Especially since now that most of the kids had gone back outside while Nick's siblings went back to work, Elijah was feeling more confident.

The toddler scrambled down off of Nick's lap and carefully made his way to the dining room table, resting his hands on the wooded top and peering over the edge, watching Jillian wipe the table as she stacked dishes.

Smiling at Elijah as she worked, Jillian started asking questions, hoping that would help to bring him out of his shell, "What's your favorite animal, Elijah?"

Elijah looked over his shoulder at his dad and Nick, both of whom nodded encouragingly at him. Both were silent though, watching the scene before them in anticipation. Both had hopes, though unvoiced, about breaking the toddler of his inherent shyness or, at the most, for him to open up to new people a bit more quickly than he did.

"puppy." Elijah said, just a bit louder than a mumble.

It was loud enough for Jillian to catch, "Puppies huh? Want to know something neat?"

Elijah nodded his head quickly, "yeah."

Jillian walked over and crouched down in front of the three-year-old although still a ways away, "We have a new litter of puppies out in the second barn."

"weally?" Elijah asked, his eyes widening.

"Yup." Jillian nodded, "Would you like to see them?"

Greg, who was sitting within view of Elijah's face, didn't think his sons eyes could get much wider than they were right at that moment, "Brace yourself." He whispered to Nick, who looked at him in confusion.

Elijah whipped around on his heel and ran for the two men at top speed, his caution a distant memory in light of the news Jillian had given him, "daddy! nicky! see puppies pleeeeaase!" He all but yelled, scrambling up the space of couch between them, what little there was, in order to stand on Greg's legs, "pleeeaase see puppies?" He asked again, pulling out the doe eyes he had inherited from Greg as he rested his hands on Greg's shoulders for balance.

Greg couldn't find it in himself to say no. Not that he wanted to. He just nodded helplessly and accepted the exuberant hug he was given.

"Which dog had pups?" Nick asked, as Jillian came into the family room, her dishcloth deposited in the kitchen.

"Pepper. One of the boys' dogs." She replied, referencing Liam and Leslie's boys, Jeremy and Thomas, "We're not even sure who the sire is. Some of the puppies look like Duke while others look like Rascal and Bogart."

Nick blanched at the thought of his dads old hound, Bogart, siring pups at his age. Shaking of things it would be wise not to think about he asked, "How many?"

"Seven. Originally eight, but the runt didn't make it. Which is a shame, cause it was the only one of the litter that looked like Pepper. Ah well..." Jillian trailed off and looked down at Elijah who was now tugging on her jeans with an expectant look on his face, "You ready to go see them?"

"yes please!" He said.

Greg ran a hand through Elijah's hair, "Want us to tag along, sproglet?" The question, which seemed rhetorical, actually served a purpose. Elijah's answer would tell him how comfortable he was with Jillian.

Said toddler bit his lip and rubbed his finger along the bridge of his nose before nodding slowly, "yes. you see puppies too."

"Sounds like a plan." Nick said, glancing at Greg. Both men caught that if it weren't for the excitement of his dad and Nick seeing the puppies as well, the toddler probably would have said no.

-----

Nick shut the door to Lynn's old room and turned to Greg, who was lounging on one of the chairs in the playroom with a book in hand, "You sure he'll be all right in there?"

Greg rolled his eyes and closed the book, "Nick, he'll be fine. We made sure to show him which room we'll be in, told him that there are always lights on out here just in case, gave him his blanket and stuffed clown as well as Sammy's old night light. He has got to be _the_ most comfortable kid in the world right now and I think the only thing that's going to wake him up is if you keep checking in on him."

"Right." Nick said. He walked over and sat down on the arm of the chair Greg was in.

Greg slid an arm around Nick's back, "What are you so worried about anyway?"

"It's a new house for him." Nick replied, not really sure what the cause of his anxiety was.

"He's adapted pretty well so far and Lynn's room is a straight shot from yours so I really do think he'll be okay." Greg said. He squeezed Nick's waist before standing up, "Speaking of, don't you think it's about time you showed me your room?"

Nick laughed and stood as well, "I suppose so. Not that it's anything special. Mom pretty much generalized the rooms after we all moved out."

Nick's old room was just as he said it was, generalized. There wasn't anything in the room to show that Nick had spent a good eighteen of his years growing up in it. The room had two closets just beyond the door, opposite a small en-suite bathroom as well as a wall length window seat, a feature that seemed to be a fixture in nearly every room in the house.

Greg could see why Jillian had had them built. Where ever a window seat was placed, there was an incredible view beyond. Nicks, once you looked past the small garden under the window and the corner of Aly's old room, overlooked the rolling front lawn of the ranch to the west, allowing for a fantastic view of the sunset.

Greg walked over to the window and rested his hand on the wood beam that held the window panes in place, "Wow." He whispered, taking in the sun that was setting behind a small set of hills. With the sporadic clouds on the horizon, it made for an amazing sight.

Nick followed and wrapped his arms around Greg's waist, resting his chin on the shoulder in front of him, "Nice huh?"

Greg nodded and together, they watched as the sun set fully, leaving a sky of navy and purple behind. Finally, Greg stirred and turned in Nick's arms, kissing his temple, "I'm gunna go use the bathroom and change."

"Okay." Nick dropped his arms and turned to the bed, which was where he had dropped the suitcases earlier while Greg had chased after Elijah in the playroom.

He handed Greg his sleep pants and a tank top and Greg took them to the bathroom. Greg shut the door with a sigh and leaned against it.

Despite the three months of being together and the one month of Nick knowing of his feelings and them living together, they still hadn't seen each other sans clothes no matter how many times they had made out and brought each other to orgasm.

It was mostly his own fault. His main worry was Elijah bursting into the room but his other concern was that he had never been with a guy before. Oh, he had had plenty of boyfriends, but during college his main priorities had been school work and all the labs that he could sign up for. Most of his boyfriends and even his girlfriends at the time never stayed with him all that long because of it.

Elijah had come from a drunken tryst with a lab partner during his second year of post-grad classes. She hadn't informed him until a small niggling of guilt had come to her in the delivery room. He had flown straight to Atlanta, where she had moved to during winter break that year. After getting the paternity testing done to prove him as the father, he had then had to fight to get his son.

The adopting couple, as well as Blythe, hadn't been happy, but the courts had ruled in his favor and for Blythe to pay the couple back for the expenses they had put into her pregnancy that would guarantee they would be the ones to get the child. Since then, and really before hand as well, sex had never been his number one priority.

Greg went back into the bedroom after quickly changing and dropped his clothes in the now empty suitcase. He looked around the room and spotted Nick sitting on the window seat, back up against the wall. He walked over and leaned against the wall next to him, "Nick? You okay?"

Nick shrugged, "Have you noticed that despite sharing a bed for a month, we haven't even seen each other in our underwear? I'm not complaining or trying to push you or anything, but G, thats rare for me."

Greg nearly choked. Nick had basically just mirrored his own thoughts. It was a bit freaky, "I was, ah, just thinking about that."

"Yeah?" Nick looked up at him, though it was obvious he wasn't sure how to take the statement.

"Yeah." Greg looked away from Nick and out the window. He wasn't sure he wanted to have this conversation at Nick's _parents_ house, but it seemed like he didn't have much choice, "Did you know that since Elijah was born, in fact since he was conceived, I haven't had sex? With anyone? Not to mention my first time actually having sex was when I was twenty-two." He added with an embarrassed mutter. It had never been easy for him to admit the age at which he lost his virginity.

He looked down in time to see Nick's eyebrows crease in confusion, "But I remember last year you talking about some blond with amazing green eyes and perfect toes."

Greg ran his hand over his face and snorted, "She was wearing high heals that were kinda strappy and it was at a bar. We had made a date for the following weekend but while we were on it, she walked out on me when she found out I had a kid. The whole thing never evolved to sex. I don't do one night stands."

"So what did you do? Swipe her glass?" Nick asked, amused, "'Cause you had said you were looking at her..."

"Don't remind me." Greg said quickly, knowing where Nick was going with that sentence, "And no, I didn't. They were my own, but that would have sounded really lame."

"Yeah." Nick paused, "Greg, I don't care that you haven't had sex in...wow, nearly four years..."

"That's not all." Greg interrupted, "I mean, well, I haven't exactly been with a guy before."

"You..."

"That's not to say I haven't _dated_ a guy before," Greg said, hastening to explain and interrupting Nick in the process, "It's just that I haven't had sex with a guy before. It's a bit of a nerve wracking idea you know? Sure, I think about it and all and I have experimented with myself but...mph." Greg's eyes narrowed over Nick's hand, which had clamped over his mouth to stop the nervous babbling.

"Chill G." Nick said, rising to stand before him, "I don't care about all that okay? Sure, it's good to know that you've never done that before. It makes our first time all the more special and if and when I do...do that to you, I'll know to take it slow."

Greg pulled Nick's hand from his mouth and smirked, "You are such a romantic. You can't even say it. 'When you fuck me.' It's not hard to say."

Nick shook his head, "I don't care if this is going to make me sound like a sap, but our first time won't be about fucking. It'll be about making love."

Greg found himself at a loss for words. How was it that Nick could do that? Just strip him of all words, including his large stash of witty comebacks, and leave him gaping like a fish out of water.

Nick, however, didn't give him much time to answer before he continued, "I never did tell you."

"What?" Was about all Greg could manage. He would have been embarrassed if he had it in him to be so at the moment, because this lack of words was really not him.

"That I loved you as well. It's been nearly a month since you told me and I never reciprocated." Nick continued. He slid his arms around Greg's waist and pulled him close.

It was as Greg was stepping away from the wall that he found his voice, "I, ah, wasn't exactly worried about it. You said this whole relationship was moving kinda fast. And I had started falling for you just after I started at the lab and I know you could barely tolerate me at the time, so..."

Nick kissed him, slipping his tongue into Greg's open mouth but managing to keep the kiss soft at the same time. He pulled away and licked Greg's lip before licking his own, "Yeah, you were a little weird G. But I could tolerate you. In fact, I'd say I started to fall for you around that time you were talking about that blond. The way your eyes lit up," Here he kissed the corner of Greg's eye, "And that killer smile you flashed me." He kissed Greg on the mouth again, but it was barely a whisper.

Greg chuckled softly, "You mean I didn't have you at 'anal swab'?" He asked, "Must have lost my touch there."

"God G." Nick groaned and dropped his forehead onto Greg's shoulder as he was reminded of Greg's third week at the lab, "That was bad."

TBC...

Leave a review? I'd appreciate it.


	9. Chapter 8 July 2002

Rather short chapter, this one. Not too short, considering, but one of the shortest.

Thank you for all the reviews!

---,---

July

------

Greg laughed as Elijah squealed loudly. He was up on a horse with Nick for the first time and Nick had just urged the mare into a canter, surprising the little boy with the sudden jolt and speed.

"I haven't seen him that happy in a long time."

Greg turned at the whimsical voice and smiled as Jillian leaned against the railing he was sitting on. Her hair was twisted up into a bun at the top of her head, with curly wisps escaping to frame her face. Greg could tell by her clothes, well-worn jeans, a tucked in t-shirt, and the cowboy boots, that she must have been watching for her next 'client' and spotted him instead. "Really?" he asked.

Jillian nodded, her brown eyes following the horse, "Yeah. It's been a very long time."

Greg's eyes widened as she spoke. Her voice had the same quality tone to it that Nick's had whenever they talked about Elijah and babysitters. He still didn't want to bring it up with Nick, but he was beginning to wonder more about it and the way Jillian spoke, it was obvious she knew something.

He turned back and looked at the man he had fallen in love with, the gorgeous smile that dimpled as he laughed, the shining eyes that he couldn't see from his distance but yet knew they were, his face flushed from laughing along with Elijah.

He turned his head again to say something to Jillian but caught sight of Tasha coming off the back porch of the main house, wringing her hands. She walked briskly over to them, a worried look on her face, "Mama, your two o'clock lesson is here but we've got a problem."

Jillian turned to her daughter, "What's..."

"Nicky!"

Both of the Stokes womens eyes, as well as Greg's, whipped towards the house as a tall man with shoulder length blond hair stepped out onto the back porch. The man never noticed them staring at him. Instead, he focused on Nick, who was still out in the middle of the training corral either because he hadn't heard the man or because he had and was choosing to ignore him.

Jillian's hand went to the base of her throat, "Oh dear God. It's Thad."

"Mama, Noah made the appointment. He didn't know." Tasha said.

Greg watched as Thad walked over to the gate. The man _was_ good looking. His hair, upon closer view, was flat ironed into submission and streaked with brown highlights. He was wearing a rather tight tank top as well as tight jeans, showing off a thin but sculpted body that made Greg feel like a twig, "Who is that?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Thad Barker. He and Nick dated in college." Tasha replied as Jillian walked over to Thad.

Greg's eyebrows shot up, "That's one of Nick's ex's?"

Tasha nodded, "Yeah. He calls around every holiday, trying to get information on whether Nick is coming home or not. He got lucky this time." She then gave Greg a forced smile before walking off to join her mother.

The sound of hoof beats pulled Greg's attention from one of the dreaded 'ex's' and he turned back to the corral as Nick rode up to him, "Hey G. Did you see that? Eli steered the horse over here."

Greg smiled, forgetting about Thad for the moment, "That's awesome sproglet. Was it a fun ride?"

Elijah nodded, his face shining in happiness, "it fun! an i dwove!" He wiggled around a bit to look up at Nick, "did good?" he asked, in hopes of more approval.

Nick rubbed the top of Elijah's head, "You did good." He then looked at Greg, "I'm gunna take him to the stables, show him how to wipe down Lulu. Wanna come with?"

"Sure." Greg said. He hopped off the fence and accepted Elijah as he was handed down to him.

Nick climbed down from the saddle and gave Lulu a pat on the neck, "You didn't mind the little extra weight at all, did you girl?" He crooned. He laughed as the horse shook its head.

"nicky cawwy me!" Elijah stated, squirming to get back over to him.

"All right little man, just give me a second." Nick quickly fixed the reins so he could walk Lulu and then turned to Greg and Elijah.

Greg couldn't help but laugh as Elijah all but threw himself at Nick, "Well, look at it this way Nick. At least you know he likes you."

Elijah nodded and happily wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, "luv nicky."

Nick pressed a kiss to the top of Elijah's head, "Love you too, little man." He then looked at Greg and winked, "You too, big boy."

"Gee, that made me feel loved all right. Short stuff here's a man, but I'm only a boy?" Greg asked as he tugged on Elijah's hair to emphasize the short stuff comment.

"Only in the best of ways G." Nick said and started walking, leaving Greg to catch up to them.

Because Nick had come to a stop between Greg and the gate, Nick had yet to notice Thad's presence and Greg would bet the only reason he still hadn't, even though they were almost flush with the small group standing there, was because Elijah was prattling away and Nick was doing his best to decipher the rapid toddler talk.

Greg had then started praying that the two Stokes women would be able to keep Thad occupied long enough for them to get by without being spotted. It seemed to have been in vain, however, as Thad stopped nodding to whatever it was Jillian was saying and his attention suddenly honed in on Nick.

"Nicky!" Thad exclaimed, acting as if he hadn't even known Nick was ten feet away from him.

Nick came to an abrupt stop and reluctantly turned towards the gate. He handed the reins over to Tasha as she climbed over to take the horse away to avoid the confrontation. He then began running a soothing hand down Elijah's back as the toddler buried his face at the sight of yet another stranger, "Thad."

Greg shuddered at the ice dripping from Nick's voice and was surprised that Thad hadn't noticed. Instead his grin had widened, "Wow, it's been so long. Here I was, just comin' out for a lesson with your mama and suddenly there you are." the blond eyed Elijah with a look that had Greg's hackles rising, "You givin' lessons during your vacation? That is so sweet of you Nicky."

"I don't give lessons, Thad. You should know that." Greg saw Nick's arm tightening around his son and wondered if Nick had caught the look as well.

Thad's grin lost some of its vibrancy at that, "Oh, of course. What was I thinking." It was then that Thad's blue eyes made contact with Greg's and they widened in realization even as he smirked, "I see. Not your normal style Nicky, I must say." The blue eye's flickered back to Elijah, "Not your normal at all."

Greg clenched his teeth and rested his hand on Nick's back as it visibly stiffened. He was grateful that Nick was holding Elijah. Nick wasn't the violent type, usually, but Thad was pushing at all of Nick's buttons with expert precision.

Greg was dying to say something, but with Jillian standing there and Elijah hiding his face but certainly listening, he held his tongue. Not his way, but there were some things a little boy did not need to hear and the words cruising through his mind would certainly top that list.

"Well," Thad continued, "They certainly grow them pretty out there in Vegas." His eyes roved slowly over Greg and he had to fight to not hide behind Nick. It made him feel dirty.

"I'm not from Vegas, sweet cheeks. Sorry." Greg retorted, putting his hand on his hip. With the hand still on Nick's back, he could feel the small shudders which he took as Nick trying not to laugh. Well, that was a good thing.

Thad apparently wasn't expecting a comeback, no matter how lame of one it had actually been, and his eyes narrowed, "I take it the kid's yours. Pretty lucky of you to latch onto a hard workin' and sweet man like Nicky to help raise your kid."

Greg winced. That was, or rather had been, a soft spot for him until Nick had sorted him out. It still hurt now to think about and he was also really regretting that he was wearing the rattiest clothes out of all that he had brought. Thad was making him feel like a gold digger.

Nick suddenly grinned, a move that surprised everyone except Jillian, who just smiled softly, "Hate to tell ya Thad, but Greggo here makes more money than I do." His grin dropped and his eyes turned to steel, "I don't know what the hell you're trying to do, but it ain't workin'."

"I dunno, Nicky. Your boy toy here's lookin' pretty unsure of himself, so yeah, I think it is workin'." Thad laughed and looked at Jillian, "Mrs. Stokes. Always a pleasure." He then winked at Nick and turned around, heading towards the front of the house, hips swaying as he went. Jillian followed after him to make sure he actually left.

Nick looked at Greg and frowned in concern, "Greg..."

Greg shook his head and kissed Nick's cheek and then the top of Elijah's head, "I'm okay. That stung a bit, but I know you're not just in this because of Eli. Though I gotta say, I certainly wasn't expecting to meet any of your ex's on this trip."

Nick shrugged and opened the corral gate, "To tell you the truth? Neither was I."

-----

Greg dodged another kid in his attempt to make his away across the lawn. He was surrounded by kids of all ages, some of them the older eight of Nick's eleven nieces and nephews. Oddly enough, the one sibling who didn't have any kids hadn't been able make it, as she was in Africa at the moment working in an exchange program.

He finally made it to Nick and wrapped an arm around the slim waist, "You make me incredibly grateful to be an only child." He murmured, watching as the group of kids ran passed, waving sparklers in the air as they went.

Nick laughed, "You'll get used to it. Where's the rug rat?"

Greg looked over at the house, "Trying to coax that little one out to play. Who is she anyway?" He had been given a rundown of names, but he was having a fairly hard time placing faces. He would have thought that her name would have been easier to place. Her curly hair was black and glossy and her skin was the color of chocolate milk, making it obvious that she belonged to Sammy and Kieran James, Nick's sister and brother-in-law.

"Trixie." Nick said, he too looking over at the back porch, where Elijah was sitting next to the little girl and waving his arms in the air as she giggled at whatever he was saying, "She's gotta be even more shy then Eli if you can believe it. Sammy was sayin' that she was getting picked on at the pre-school she went to."

"What for?"

Nick couldn't help but smile. His boyfriend apparently had no concept of the word discrimination, "'Cause Sammy's white and Kieran's black. New York may have all walks of life but kids can still be cruel."

"Hmm." Greg pulled away from Nick and walked towards the porch. He stepped down into the little gully type patio and sat down in the chair next to Trixie, "Hi sweetheart."

Trixie shied away from him in a manner that was oddly reminiscent of Elijah. Elijah patted her arm and shook his head reassuringly. Or as reassuring as three-year-old could get, "dat daddy. daddy da bestest." He said, sending one of his largest grins towards his father.

Greg took in the protective way Elijah was wrapped around Trixie and the way he was quick to re-assure her of his presence. He wondered then if they were going to see Elijah's first major tantrum when it came time to separating them, "Nick was just telling me all about you so I had to come meet you. He told me that you went to pre-school?"

Trixie nodded, her black curls tumbling around her head from her pigtails, "uh huh. it otay. like pay'tin like unca nicky. moma gots some i copy all time!"

"Really? That sounds pretty cool."

"uh huh! moma says i be vury really good." She then held up her hand, showing Greg the pads of her fingers, "like fingur pay'tin da bestest. messy dough."

Greg laughed, "I bet. Maybe sometime this week you could show me just how good you are?"

Trixie nodded vigorously then glanced at Elijah, who was still beaming at them, seeming to be proud, "only if wiza don't mind, dough."

"no, no mind." Elijah squeezed Trixie around the shoulders and then laughed when she giggled.

Oh boy, why was he suddenly hearing wedding bells in his head? He shook it off and then stood up, "Okay you two. I'm going to go over by Nick, okay?" He started out of the gully and paused at the top of the step's, suddenly overcome with the urge to add, 'and be good.' to that. He shook his head again and went back over to Nick, who was now helping to light the second set of sparklers.

Nick glanced at him, "Everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Thinking about looking into getting long distance for the house phone, but fine."

Nick froze in confusion and then suddenly swore and shook his hand as the match he was holding burnt out at the tips of his fingers. He sucked on his fingers as he ushered the kid in front of him over to Noah before turning his full attention onto Greg, "That was a really ambiguous statement there, G."

"Yeah, are you okay?" Greg asked, grabbing Nick's hand to look at his finger tips.

"Fine. The flame went out just as it reached where I was holding the match. Now, what's goin' on?"

"Oh, that." He laughed, "I think my little boy grew up on me."

Nick's eyebrow's shot up, "He's three, Greg. How much growin' up are we talkin' about?"

Greg looked back at Elijah and Trixie, who were still talking away about who knows what, "Just the way Elijah was with Trixie. I've never seen that before. I think we're going to have a big problem when we leave."

"Why? How was he..." Nick looked over as well and saw the two kids holding hands, "Oh."

Sammy walked over then, a hand under the baby carrier slung over her chest that was holding a sleeping one-year-old, "You two see it also?" She asked, once she was close enough not to yell.

Nick nodded, "Yeah. Greg mentioned something about long distance for the phone."

Sammy nodded as well, sending her own brown curls tumbling over her shoulder, "Yeah, thought about that too. It's amazing though," She said, looking at her daughter, "I've never seen her open up that way. Not even with her own brother."

"It's going to be a long flight back to Vegas if he's crying the whole way." Greg added softly, reaching out to grab Nick's hand.

"So what do we do?" Sammy asked.

Both men shrugged, "What can we do? It's not like we can separate them." Nick replied and then paused before stating, "I wouldn't want to do that anyway."

Sammy bit her lip and glanced over at her husband before looking back at her brother and Greg, "I'm not supposed to say anything, 'cause nothings finalized yet, but Kieran's in the process of being promoted. If it goes through, we're gunna have to move." She said, voice just above a whisper.

"Move where?" Nick asked, eyes widening as he realized what might be coming. Even Greg felt the same way and it seemed like his heart leaped into his throat from just the idea of what may be coming.

"Shh." Sammy waved her hand, "Quiet lil' bro. Like I said, it's not finalized so I'm not supposed to be blabbing it about in case it does fall through. I'm just giving a maybe scenario here."

"Will you tell us already?" Nick hissed, getting impatient. It was like he was a kid all over again and it was as aggravating now as it was back then.

"It's Vegas. Kieran wasn't too sure about it but I told him to go for it since you're out there. He was first pick so the chances are good."

Greg felt as if all the worry melted off of him, "Damn." He muttered, then smiled, "If you need a place to stay..."

Sammy laughed, "Yeah, Nick told me about your house. I might take you up on that until we find a place. The only thing this promotion doesn't cover is housing, which is a damn shame."

-----

Greg laughed and clapped along with Elijah as the first firework of the evening went off. He had always loved fireworks and since this was the first year Elijah was old enough to enjoy them, his enjoyment rose even more at seeing the excitement on his sons face.

The boy had reluctantly agreed to take his lap, only because Trixie was on Nick's. She was still much more comfortable with her uncle than with Greg. Sammy had left her with them and Kieran as she had had to take baby Dakota inside prior to the start of the main show. Kieran was sitting next to them with Maddox, his son from his previous marriage.

Nick had been right about Kieran and Greg had instantly felt comfortable around the older man. He was also 'closer' to Sammy out of all of Nick's sisters. Although the other three that he had met were all nice, Sammy struck a chord with him the instant he had met her and knew he had found a friend for life, even if something happened between him and Nick.

"This is so cool." Greg whispered.

Nick caught it and turned to look at Greg, "The fireworks?"

Greg grinned, "That's a part of it. I haven't been to a show since I left San Fransisco because of sproglet. But I was also thinking about Sammy."

Kieran leaned around Nick, "You're not planning on running off with my wife, are you?"

"Nah, I wouldn't do that. I got my own Stokes to worry about. Don't need to add another." Greg said after he stopped laughing. He looked down as Elijah tugged on his shirt, "What's up, babe?"

"shhh." Elijah hissed, holding his finger to his mouth, "Wuinin fo' twixie." He said, frowning at Greg.

"Oh, sorry."

Elijah nodded and looked back up at the sky as another colorful display went off. Greg looked up at Nick with raised eyebrows, "I lost him." He whispered.

Nick could tell he was joking though and just rolled his eyes, "Right G."

-----

Nick ran his fingers along Greg's bare back, humming lightly under his breath. Greg couldn't take it anymore and raised his head from it's position on Nick's chest, "Will you stop it? It's vibrating down here."

Nick snickered, "Not enjoying it?"

Greg rolled his eyes, "Not on the side of my _face_, no." He propped himself up onto his elbow and rested his head on his fist, "You know, we never did talk about the ex of yours."

"Why would you want to?"

"Dunno. Guess I'm curious." Greg replied as he shrugged a shoulder.

Nick sighed and dropped his head down to the pillow, "He wasn't always like that. He was still in the closet when we started dating and he was quiet, sort of preppy. Baseball player, scholastic awards, stuff like that. After he came out, well, he started to turn into what you saw." Nick propped his arm behind his head, "A few months before college ended, I caught him cheating on me and he told me it was my fault, that I drove him to it. Which is stupid if you think about it. He doesn't like the fact that I dumped his ass and has been attempting to get me back since. He's part of why I went to Vegas. He hounded me all through the academy and at the station." Nick laughed, "That just made me sound really self-absorbed."

"Why'd you choose Vegas anyway?" Greg asked, ignoring Nick's last comment. He could see himself doing the same. Well, the attempting to get Nick back if he were dumped, not the cheating part.

"You know, I don't really know." Nick said, looking at Greg, "There were other places out there that had some cool job openings that I qualified for, but something about Vegas just drew me in. Which is weird 'cause I don't even like gambling all that much."

Greg snickered and buried his face at Nick's neck, "Maybe it was fate."

"What? That we both ended up in Vegas only a year apart?" Nick shrugged, "Hell, why not? That can explain why none of my relationships prior to you made it past the third date, usually."

"Mm, could be." Greg scooted back down to rest his head on Nick's chest again, slipping with ease into the same position they had been using since Nick had come to live with him, "Pretty unique thing between Eli and Trixie, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm glad we found way's around the cross country separation. The web cam idea should work pretty well until we find out about Kieran's promotion."

"Uh huh." Greg traced his finger along Nick's abs. Both were without shirts, Nick's first step to ease the awkwardness of the whole naked thing. Greg had to admit, he liked sleeping on Nick's bare chest more then he did when a t-shirt was in the way, "Is Trixie her full name or is that a nickname?"

Nick laughed, "It's a nickname. Her full name is Beatrix, which was my grandmother's name. Sammy always liked it and swore all of us off of using it."

"Beatrix? You know there's..."

"A book series with that name. Yeah, I know. Sammy's got the full set. Mama started getting them for her when she was younger because of her fascination with the name. I read some of them too one summer. Some of the phrases and wording used to crack me up."

Greg yawned and snuggled closer to Nick as he said, "It was written in the fifties man, what were you expecting?"

TBC...

Like it? Hate it? Favorite part? Let me know -grin-

Also, Thad is the reason I didn't have Greg call Nick 'Nicky.' Well, that, and everyone else does it, and I wanted to be different. Even if it is a minor detail.


	10. Chapter 9 July 2002

Thanks for all your reviews! I love them! As I keep saying, someday I'll get around to replying to them. For now, I hope you please just accept my thanks.

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July

-----

Greg closed his now finished book and sighed. Their time in Texas was close to coming to an end and, despite his nerves at the beginning of the vacation, he wasn't looking forward to leaving. They still had two day's before they had to take off and Nick was taking advantage of that fact. Well, more like his brother was. Liam had liberated Nick and dragged him into town to see some of the family friends who hadn't come out to the ranch for the Fourth of July celebration.

Nick had tried to drag Greg along with him, but Elijah had thrown a fit over leaving Trixie's side _and_ the thought of his dad leaving him alone with people he still wasn't all that comfortable around. Although, if it had been just Jillian staying at the ranch, it would have been a whole different story. So he had declined going with, instead staying behind to help Jillian with that night's meal as Elijah dragged Trixie all over the large ranch home and its grounds.

Now, as his son was taking his afternoon nap, one of the few times he would permit himself to be away from his new friend, Greg wondered what the hell he was going to do for the next hour or so until Nick got back. Jillian had all but shooed him out of the kitchen after he had put Elijah down and now that his book was finished, he was at a loss.

Sammy and Kieran were out taking Maddox on a tour of the grounds and Lynn, Noah and their three kids had gone along as well. Tasha was in town for the night because her eldest daughter was having a slumber party that her ex-husband had foisted onto her. Aly, the youngest twin, had left the day before because her fiance, who was a freelance photographer, had a shoot coming up in Maine. Even Leslie had disappeared into town for the afternoon, taking Jeremy and Thomas with her to do some shopping.

Greg slouched down on the suede covered couch and stared at the ceiling of the large living room. The ceiling had some excellent wood beams shooting up into a triangle, a look that Greg had always liked. As his eyes traced each intricately cut beam, intricate because he could some designs cleverly cut into the wood, he sensed someone staring at him.

He looked over to the doorway and squinted a bit because of the blue fluorescent glow that emanated from the fish tank that split the entrance into two. Standing there was Bill Stokes and Greg cursed mentally at himself as he hastily pushed up from his sprawled position. Bill stepped down into the room and cracked open one of the windows before seating himself in the recliner placed in front of it.

He watched Bill light up the pipe he had been carrying as he stared at Greg, barely blinking. Greg began to wonder how he was measuring up in Judge Stokes' mind even as he began to shrink in on himself, feeling a bit self-conscious under the intense scrutiny.

"So...what do your parents do for a living?"

Greg straightened up again and turned his full attention onto Bill, "Sir?" He asked, confused. He thought the first question from Nick's dad would have been more along the lines of 'what are your intentions?'

Bill blew out a puff of smoke and asked again, amusement lacing his voice, "Your parents Greg. What jobs do they have?"

"Oh, ah, well my dad's an executive for an appliance and electronics chain and my mom's a part-time chef." Greg replied, tugging at his shirt sleeve. Who knew that there was a person out there who could make him more nervous then Grissom?

"Only part-time?"

Greg shrugged, "My grandmother wasn't thrilled with the idea of my mom taking a job at all. Part-time work was their compromise."

Bill nodded and took another puff off his pipe, "Do you like sports?"

Greg let himself relax slightly. It seemed Bill was just interested in getting to know his sons significant other better. He was a bit curious about whether or not Bill had put his other 'children-in-law's' through this same treatment or not but didn't want to risk anything by asking, "Er, yeah, some." Greg replied.

"Which ones? Nick's rather big into football..." Bill trailed off and Greg had to bite back a laugh. Bill was also implying that he was a football fan as well.

"I can handle watching football but I like baseball and hockey." He said, watching as an eyebrow quirked in surprise.

"Hockey from a California boy?"

Greg rolled his eyes slightly. Nick apparently had a big mouth because he hadn't told anyone from Nick's family that he hailed from San Fransisco, "My aunt and uncle would take me out to New York with them during Christmas breaks and my uncle was a huge Rangers fan."

"Good team, the Rangers." Bill said. He dumped his pipe into a glass dish that sat on the little end table next to the recliner, "How are you at building things?"

"Er..." Greg was a bit surprised by this question. He hadn't even told Nick yet that he was 'mechanically inclined.' He would have to soon, as he needed to start on his guest house, but still, why would Bill even ask that? "Fairly well, sir."

Bill waved a hand as he stood up, "None of that sir stuff. I hear it all day long at work, I don't need to hear it at home either." He ushered Greg up off the couch, "I need a hand with a shelving unit out in the barn. It's a surprise for Nick's birthday and I want to get it done before you three leave but I need some help."

Greg shrugged and stood up, "Sure."

-----

Nick leaned over and wrapped his arms around Greg's shoulders and chest, "What's up babe?"

Greg dropped the pencil he was holding and looked up at Nick with a grin, "Not much. Did you have fun?"

Nick shrugged and walked around Greg to drop into the chair across from him, "Not really. Mrs. Henderson still thinks I'd be the perfect match for her _twenty one-_year-old daughter, Mr. Carmichael asked when I was going to move back from 'the city of sin' and dear lord, we ran into Julia Michell. She runs the art gallery and used to teach at the high school when I was there. Total new age hippy thing going on." Nick shook his head, "She called me a pig and wouldn't listen when I tried to tell her I wasn't an actual cop any more."

"Sounds fun. Glad I missed it." Greg said, laughing.

"So what did you end up doing while I was gone?"

Greg shrugged, "Nothing major. Finished my book, Trixie finally showed me her skills at finger painting, helped your mom." He looked down at the paper in front of him. He knew if he kept looking at Nick, he would blurt out about spending time with his dad and he had been sworn to secrecy by the eldest Stokes man because of Nick's gift.

The shelving unit was absolutely gorgeous. Bill had built it so that it could come apart and be shipped with ease as well as be put together with the same ease it had come apart with. He had instructed Greg specifically on what went where since he hadn't written down any instructions for the unit. Greg had then picked out a stain that seemed predominant in Nicks den back home. It had been as he was applying the stain to the top piece that he noticed another little surprise of Bill's. An attached easel. That had suddenly brought Trixie's statement from a few day's early sweeping back about her copying her 'unca nicky's work.'

He looked up at Nick and cocked his head.

Nick raised his head and raised an eyebrow at the intense stare, "What?"

"Something you want to tell me Nick?" Greg asked, a smirk growing on his face. He knew the question bothered Nick, especially since every time he had used it or the same question with different wording, it always seemed to prelude a fight.

"Er..." Nick straightened up and frowned in thought, "I love you?"

Greg laughed, "That's nice to know, but no. It's pretty amazing how observant you can be sometimes, mister CSI." He held up the paper he had been working on and his smirk widened along with Nick's eyes, "Your mom pulled this out for me when I mentioned needing some unlined paper."

"I...hm." Nick trailed off and rubbed his jaw, "So now you know I draw. So what?"

"Just wondering why you didn't tell me." He waved his hand to shush the Texan as he opened his mouth to speak, "I'm not mad Nick. Just...amused? Especially because of this."

He tossed Nick the sketchpad, open to the page he had been working on, "You did this?" Nick asked, looking down.

Greg nodded, "Yeah."

Nick traced the edges of the block in the middle of the page, "This has the same shape as the house..." He then took in a few of the written details and realized what Greg was planning. He looked up at Greg, "A pool? Guest house?"

"I want to get rid of the grass and get some synthetic. Especially with Mark being away so much now. He'll be able to spend more time with his granddaughter this way. The guest house actually grew in size with ah, the news we received. I was originally planning on a studio type cottage, but..."

Nick nodded in understanding, knowing he was talking about Sammy and Kieran, "This looks amazing. When are we going to start?"

"You don't mind? I mean, this is just a rough draft and all..."

"Greg, I don't mind. I like the idea of a pool and a play area for Elijah and with more people spending time out at your place, it makes sense to extend the patio of the detached porch. I also like the idea of the low maintenance because of this and the extra tree's as well."

Greg smiled then, happy that he hadn't had to persuade Nick into changing the backyard. What had started out as simply finding the best area to put his desired guest house had turned into a whole redecorating project. He was blaming it on watching too much HGTV lately or he would if Nick ever asked what prompted it.

What was lining the main backyard now was a simple chain link fence that matched the one wrapping around the property. He had decided to pull that and instead came up with the idea of a low bamboo wood fence. The guest house was on the left side of the house beyond the fence on some unused and untamed yard. It had its own gravel driveway that parted from the main one that they would have to line with plastic so as to keep it from weeding out.

The backyard had truly lost a lot of grassy area's, but he had left a large patch right in the middle of the yard. Just beyond that in front of the fence was a sand pit and a wooden mini-playground. The pool though, that was going to be cool if his little design worked.

It was kidney shaped, following the lines of the outdoor patio connected to the house. One end was going to be deep enough to bring in a diving board and he had sketched a slide just to the left of the board, coming down off of large boulders.

He had extended the detached patio and sketched a mini design of an outdoor kitchen with a bar and the foosball table that was buried in the garage. Nick was right about that. He had done that extension with their co-workers and friends in mind. His house was the biggest out of all of them and it was cheaper to hang out at somebodies house then it was to go to a bar most times. If they planned it right, the detached patio could also be used year round.

Nick placed the sketchpad on the end table, "Are we going to be able to afford it though?"

Greg's smile broadened at that. It was always we and our when it came to the house and money issues. Even with this being his idea, Nick was still willing to help pay for it in someway. Greg, however, was certainly not running short on cash and the landscaping would be expensive, "Nick..."

"G...you know how I feel about this." This was referring to the money issues. Greg often tried to foot the bill for the more expensive things, like the plane tickets out here. It frustrated Nick to no end most times, "I'm not exactly poor you know. I may not have as much money as you but I can afford to help with things like this."

Greg decided to give in. It wasn't worth a fight over something that petty, "All right, all right. We'll plan more when we get home and look up contractors and stuff."

"There's a good boy."

Greg responded by sticking out his tongue and crossing his eyes.

-----

It was raining for the first time since arriving in Texas and Greg and Nick were huddled together at the dining room table with Elijah comfortably ensconced between them, coloring in some of the old coloring books Jillian set aside for her grandchildren.

Nick's family was conspicuously absent and while Greg knew why, or at least had a feeling as to why, Nick was oblivious as he tried to convince Elijah to use more outlandish colors for the pictures.

Greg glanced up and over to the hallway, catching Bill's eye. He nodded in understanding, knowing Bill was asking him to keep Nick's attention away from the kitchen for the moment. He turned back to his boyfriend and son, joining in the debate going on about what color to make the birds in the background of the picture.

He watched in amusement as just as Nick placed a crayon to his own page, eighteen voices rang out "Happy birthday Nick!" or in the case of the children, "Uncle Nick!"

Nick's hand flexed as he jumped in surprise and sent the crayon flying across the room, causing everyone to start laughing. Nick looked around at the shining faces as he collected himself. He cleared his throat and finally said, "I hate to burst everyone's bubble, but my birthday is next month."

Jillian kissed the top of his head before turning to place a birthday hat onto Elijah's head, "We know dear. Certainly couldn't forget something like that, but since you're here and it is only a month away..."

"We're going to celebrate now. Happy birthday Pancho." Bill continued, clasping Nick on the shoulder.

Nick grinned up at his dad, "Thanks Cisco." A contemplative look crossed his face and he turned to look at Greg, "You knew about this didn't you."

Greg shrugged and grinned, "Maybe."

Nick smiled at him before looking back at his family, "So? What did you all get me?"

Sammy laughed and reached out to ruffle his hair, "Don't you think you're a bit old too be getting presents lil' bro?"

"Nah. Never too old for presents. So?" Nick asked, holding his hands out in a 'gimme gimme' gesture.

As Greg and Elijah watched, Nick was soon boggled down with various cards and not a few wrapped gifts. After opening a few Texas A&M tee shirts and sweaters, Bill's masterpiece was wheeled in. Nick whistled slowly when he caught sight of it, immediately getting up to look it over.

"Wow, this is amazing." He kneeled down and began opening and closing drawers as his family looked on in amusement.

"Greg helped with it." Bill pointed out, "That boy is pretty good at staining."

Nick looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend, "No kiddin'?

Greg shrugged and wrapped his arms around Elijah's waist, choosing to hide his smile in the auburn hair resting against his chin. Sammy took the heat off of Greg and passed Nick an envelope, "My gift, Nick. Think you'll like it."

Nick pulled the flap out of the envelope and pulled out a blue slip of paper. He read over what was written on it and then stared up at his sister in shock, "_Antares_? For tonight even? How the heck did you manage that?"

"The manager of Antares is Shelly Morgan. We stopped by to see her when we got into town and while we were there I remembered you wanting to go since they did the renovations."

Nick pulled Sammy into a hug, "Thanks Sam." He turned to Greg and gave him a large grin, "Up to eating out tonight?"

-----

Greg stared up at the large tower that resembled a needle with awe, "Nick, I didn't exactly realize that Antares was at the top of an observation tower."

Nick laughed and pulled Greg towards the Hyatt Regency's entrance, the lobby of which surrounded the base of Reunion Tower, "Did I forget to mention that? Sorry."

"I'm sure." Greg followed Nick to the elevator and as they rode to the first stop of the tower Greg couldn't help but gravitate the windows of the elevator. He stared out over Dallas as they rose higher into the air.

Nick stepped up behind him though was careful not to do much in way of touching, mindful of the other people in the lift with them, "Pretty cool huh? I've only been up here once and that was for mama's fiftieth birthday. Even though I grew up here I was still awed at being able to look out over the city like this."

Greg didn't get a chance to respond as the elevator slid to a stop. Again, he followed Nick off and was momentarily confused as the Texan started towards a set of stairs about ten feet to their left, "Nick? Where you going?"

"Up to Antares. This floor is the observation deck." Nick replied, starting to climb.

Greg glanced at a set of double glass doors leading out onto the deck before shrugging and starting up the stairs as well. The next floor had yet another staircase rising up but this time Nick walked over to one of the host stands, "Reservation under Stokes?"

The hostess glanced at the book in front of her and nodded, "All right, right this way, and please watch your step."

Greg frowned at this bit of advice until he took a step up onto the floor and felt his leg jerk slightly, "What the hell?" He muttered.

Nick's amusement grew as he watched the lab-rat stare at the step in confusion, "It's a rotating restaurant G. The only parts that don't move are the waiting area and the kitchen."

"Rotating...are you serious?" Greg followed after their hostess after sending the floor another odd look.

Nick shook his head and dropped down into the seat at the table they were shown. Greg sat down across from him and smiled up at the hostess as she handed them their menus, "Your waiter will be with you shortly." She said and started back towards her stand.

Nick watched Greg as he opened up his menu, but ignored it for the view they were sitting by. Their table was at the edge of the rotating floor, so except for the brief time they would spend going passed the waiting area, their view would always be amazing, "Cool huh?"

"Different too. I can honestly say I've never eaten in a rotating restaurant before. How fast is this moving anyway?"

Nick shrugged, "Not really sure, but it makes a full rotation every fifty five minutes."

"Hello, I'm Jeffery. I'll be your waiter this evening. Can I get you anything to drink?" A tall Asian man said, coming up to their table.

They placed their drink orders and then silently went over their menus so they could be ready to order when the waiter came back. When their drinks arrived, both non-alcoholic at Nick's insistence, their placed their food order. The wait for that was fairly short for a fancy restaurant but Nick informed Greg that that was probably due to there being a lounge on the floor above them that also served food.

Greg, who had had a hard time deciding just what to order, was practically salivating when his steak was placed in front of him. He had almost gone with one of the lamb dishes, but Nick nixed that idea quickly and pointed out that they were in Texas. Greg had grudgingly agreed but was now incredibly happy he had gone with Nick's advise. His ten ounce boneless strip looked mouthwatering. Nick was equally happy with his porterhouse and both men knew they would be bringing leftovers back to the ranch with them.

"I'm kinda surprised Eli let us out of the house."

Greg cocked his head to the side as he started cutting up his steak, "Man, the way your mom was doting on him while we were getting ready I don't think he was even paying attention as we left." He snorted a bit, "She'll have fun come bath time though. He and Trixie were covered in that stuff."

Nick laughed at that, remembering the sight of the two toddlers covered in play-doh as they said their good nights to Elijah. His face had been streaked blue by the stuff and both men had had a hard time finding a clean place to kiss.

Greg took a sip of his soda and sighed, "Beer or something would go so much better with this. Why am I drinking soda?"

Nick swallowed the food in his mouth before taking a drink of his iced tea, "Cause I've got something planned for when we get back to the ranch and it wouldn't be a good idea to have alcohol coursing through our systems."

"Like what?" Greg asked, sounding both excited and weary at the same time.

Nick stared at him for a moment but then shook his head, "Nah, I think I'll keep you in suspense."

Greg stuck his tongue out at him before going back to his food. He knew first hand just how stubborn Nick could be. There would be no hints until they got back. After that, their talk mainly floated around more information on Nick's family and both of them agreeing to forgo talking about work when they were on a date.

They both skipped on dessert, again because Nick pointing out that despite the forty five minute drive back to the ranch, he didn't want either of them over full for his surprise. When their leftovers were returned to them and their bill payed, Greg was amused to see that their table was nearly in the same area it had been in when they were seated. It was an interesting way to note just how long they had been at the restaurant.

When they got back to the ranch, Elijah was already tucked into bed for the night and snoring away. Greg ran his fingers through Elijah's fringe and kissed his forehead while Nick went to get the night light that was left in their room the night before. After Nick added his own kiss, they quietly left the room.

"All right, we're back at the ranch, our leftovers are in the fridge and you have me dressed in jeans and boots. What are we doing?" Greg asked, motioning down to the steel toes Nick had tossed at him not even ten minutes earlier.

"We are going for a ride." Nick said, opening the fridge door and digging through its contents. He pulled out a small, hand held wicker basket and turned to face Greg who was looking fairly shocked, "What?"

"Well, one, it's dark out. Two, I've only been up on a horse once Nick. Do you really think this is such a smart idea?"

Nick rolled his eyes, "Greg, that one time you're talking about, we had to practically pry you off that mare with a crowbar. You were riding around the corral for nearly two hours."

"That's cause my butt was stuck to the saddle."

"And here I thought you were getting enjoyment off of rubbing up against the saddle horn." Nick retorted, before turning back to grab a thermos off the counter. He could tell it was fresh as the outside of the container was still warm. Bless his mama's heart.

"You're a perv. There's no other way to even attempt to figure out where that statement came from. Even _I'm_ not _that_ horny."

Nick stared at Greg a moment before shaking his head, "Yeah, all right. Come on. Liam said he'd have the stuff we need set out, but I still need to get the horses ready."

Greg shrugged and followed Nick out of the back door and towards the stables. He lifted his face to the sky as a sweet breeze wafted over his skin, "What's that smell?"

Nick paused and lifted his head as well. The breeze was coming from the south and towards the stables, meaning Greg wasn't smelling the horses. He took a deep breath, "Bluebells and magnolias." He said after a second, "The magnolias are from mama's gardens but the bluebell is wild. Probably a few bushes across the highway."

"Well, either way it smells great."

Nick smiled and went into the stables. The place was still alive with people for it being near nine in the evening. A few of the colts and fillies required constant care and so at the moment, the barn had people in it twenty four hours. A young woman approached them, a smile on her tanned face, "Mister Stokes. Your brother told me you'd be riding tonight. Any preference to a horse?"

"I'll take out Mist if he wasn't ridden earlier and Greg's still a beginner so who ever you think would be best, Lina."

Lina tugged on her braid and looked over the horse stalls, "Tempo hasn't been out today and you can't get much more mild than him. Mist was out grazing, so other than his run around the corral, he hasn't been out either. We've been a little busy with the youngins today."

"Sound's good then."

"All right. Mist and Tempo it is. Give me a few to get them saddled up and I'll bring um out for you."

"Thanks Lina." Nick led Greg back outside, "Kinda glad Lina and Myra are working tonight." He said, pulling himself up onto the fence that came up to the edge of the barn near the doors.

Greg leaned against it and looked up at Nick, his eyebrows raised, "Why's that?" He asked, a bit of jealousy creeping into his voice.

Nick laughed and tugged on Greg's hair, "Nuthin like that, G. Those two are both spoken for. It's just they never let any of us wash down the horses after rides. Well, except for Liam but thats 'cause he's their boss and they don't have a choice. Liam likes to be hands on with the animals."

Lina led the horses out to them and Nick took hold of the reins. He passed Tempo's to Greg and watched carefully as the lab-rat flipped the reins over Tempo's head and then scrambled up to a sitting position on the gold geldings back. Tempo was a palomino that hadn't met with the standards of the PHBA due to a too dark mane and so had been sold to his mother fairly cheap.

Once he was satisfied that Greg wasn't going to fall of and hurt himself, Nick turned to Mist. Mist was his horse, a mustang his father had gotten for him when he graduated from the academy. Now six years old, the horse was fairly calm thanks to it being a gelding. Mist was a beautiful horse. He was a light tan in color, almost to the point that he looked white, he had a mane that was black and white mixed and he looked like he was wearing black stockings that went up to the top of his legs.

Nick stowed the small basket and thermos into the saddle bags and climbed up into the saddle. He looked at Greg and smiled, "Ready?"

Greg frowned in worry, "I suppose so."

"Don't worry G. I'll be right beside you the whole time and there's a first aide kit in one of my saddle bags along with a talkie." Nick said, urging Mist into a walk.

"That's...not as reassuring as you would think."

Nick led Greg down one of the paths that started off near the barn. They walked in silence, taking in the scenery that was alight from the full moons glow. The silence, however, was broken by a howl far off in the distance. Greg jumped and looked at Nick, "Please, please, tell me that wasn't what I thought it was."

Nick shrugged, "Coyote." He looked at Greg, "Don't worry. They usually don't come this far down."

"See, it's words like usually that fail to relieve." Greg muttered.

Nick just laughed and continued to lead the way down the path. It wasn't much further along that Nick let Mist stop. Greg stopped along side of him, "What's up?"

"This is where I wanted to bring you." Nick replied. He slipped off of Mist's back and lopped the reins over a low tree branch. Greg followed suit and turned to face Nick. Nick pulled the basket and thermos out of the saddle bag. He then reached out and took Greg's hand, tugging him towards a large rock.

Just past the rock, which was taller than both men, Greg stumbled to a stop and just gaped. It was a clearing, about a thousand square feet in size, that had a brook running through it. As Nick urged him closer to the water, he could see that the brook was lined by wide, flat rocks.

Nick dropped his hand and sat down on one of the rocks, tugging off his boots and socks. He rolled up his pants legs and dropped his feet into the water. Greg grinned and quickly did the same. Once settled, he turned to look at the basket and thermos, "So? What did you bring?"

Nick opened the basket and pulled out two mugs. He handed one to Greg before opening the thermos and pouring its contents into the cups. He then watched as Greg's eyes widened in amazement, "How did you do this? I didn't bring any with!"

"You didn't but I did. Not enough to have every afternoon but I kinda started planning this ride before we even got here so..." Nick said, taking a sip of his own coffee. He really was starting to like Blue Hawaiian.

Greg set his mug down and threw his arms around Nick's shoulders, "God, I love you."

"You'll love me even more in a minute."

Greg pulled back slightly, though his arms were still around Nick, "Why?"

Nick pulled the last container out of the basket and popped the lid. He set the lid in the basket and held up the plastic container for Greg to look inside, "Texas sheet cake. Mama's special recipe. I didn't bring any forks though."

Greg shrugged and dug out one of the slices, which had been cut down to the size of brownies, "Not too crumbly." Greg said before taking a bite. He moaned around the slice of cake before pulling it away from his mouth. After swallowing he said, "Jesus Nick, your mother can bake!"

Nick didn't respond. He was too busy watching Greg suck the chocolate off his fingers. Greg looked at Nick and, seeing where the Texans attention was fixated, grinned slowly around the finger caught between his teeth. He then pulled the finger out of his mouth, "You okay Nick?"

"Fine G." Nick said, clearing his throat. He reached into the container and lifted out a slice for himself. Two could play at that game.

-----

TBC...

Well, you got more Bill for those who wanted it. I just hope that it was what you were hoping for. As you can see, I am definitely trying to steer clear of the typical homophobic Stokes family. Also, before this comes up in later chapters, they haven't dealt with much homophobia because, with their jobs, they are well aware of what could happen to them if they were more open. They pretty much act like friends most of the time when they are out of the house...usually.

Let me know what you think, huh? All reviews are appreciated...


	11. Chapter 10 August 2002

Woo! Quick update! Really, really quick, come to think of it. Anyway, enjoy!

Thanks for the reviews...especially those of you who are reviewing every chapter. Knowing you're still reading this means the world to me.

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August

-----

"daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy..." Elijah yelled, running down the front stairs as fast as he could.

Greg looked up and raised an eyebrow as Rayne leaned against the banister and just smiled in amusement. He crouched down and caught his hyper son, "What's up sproglet?" He asked, closing his arms around Elijah in a warm hug.

"nicky's biwt-day." Elijah responded, peering up at Greg with his chocolate brown eyes.

"Er," Greg bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at Elijah's attempt at seriousness, "What about it?"

"nicky give books. i give someting." Elijah explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Greg stood up and picked up Elijah, settling him on his hip, "Do you have something in mind?"

Elijah looked up at Rayne who was starting down the stairs towards them, "Actually, he sort of does." She said, still amused.

"And that is?"

"gampa's shiwt." Elijah said.

"Grandpa's..." Greg trailed off as he tried to figure out what shirt Elijah was referring to. Normally, his father wore t-shirts and sometimes sweaters when they came out to visit, "Um, Elijah, I don't really..."

"footpwints." Elijah said, interrupting Greg.

Greg stared down at his son, still thinking. It took him a good minute, but it did finally dawn on him. His mom had helped him make the shirt when he was younger as a rainy day project for his dad. It was just a plain white t-shirt with different colored footprints scattered all over it. His own footprints, actually.

His dad still wore it with much pride, saying that it was like walking around with a little bit of Greg all the time. In fact, his father had worn that shirt to nearly every important function of Greg's. Elementary, High school, and college graduations were the main ones. He had even worn it to Elijah's christening, much to his and his mother's embarrassment.

"You want to make a footprint shirt for Nick?" Greg now knew why Rayne was amused. He really couldn't see Nick walking around in a shirt covered in little multi-colored footprints, although he could understand the significance behind Elijah's request. Elijah would ask his grandpa about the shirt every time he saw him wearing it and had always seemed so excited that his 'gampa' would still wear something that his daddy had made when he was his age.

Elijah nodded, happy that Greg had caught on. He then stopped suddenly and a pensive look crossed his young features, "diff'went dough."

Greg carried Elijah into the kitchen, Rayne following, "A footprint shirt but different from grandpa's." He bit his lip as he set Elijah in his booster. With this conversation going on, he was suddenly, incredibly, grateful that Nick got stuck working a double, "You know, I think I know what we can do and I've got everything we need too."

"weally?" Elijah asked, excitement making his face glow as he took his sippy cup from Rayne.

"Yup." Greg nodded and looked at Rayne, "You interested in staying to help?"

Rayne shook her head and glanced out the window, "Nope, sorry. My ride has just arrived. Just remember to show me the finished product after Nick opens it." She smirked then, "Or better yet, have him model it for me." She kissed Greg on the cheek and headed for the mudroom exit, "I'll see you two later."

"All right, sproglet. You want something different from grandpa's...how about footprints going up one side of the shirt and down the other? It'll look like you walked up his back, up over his shoulder, and then down his chest." Greg said as he poured out two bowls of Cheerios.

Elijah nodded, "cool."

Greg raised an eyebrow as he handed one of the cereals over, "Cool? Where in the world did you get that from?"

Elijah shrugged and stuffed a spoonful of cereal and milk into his mouth, "nicky." he replied, while trying to chew at the same time.

"Mouth closed please." Greg said with a sigh.

-----

"All right." Greg ushered Elijah outside ahead of him, "We are so _not_ doing this in the house."

Once they reached the patio, Greg pushed the couch back out of the way and laid down a few sheets of parchment paper, liberated from the kitchen. On top of that, he the laid down the black t-shirt he had stolen from Nick's drawer. It was one of at least ten, so he really didn't think Nick was going to miss it at all.

"Hop up sproglet." Greg said, patting the chair.

Elijah climbed onto the chair and watched as Greg pulled off his shoes and socks, running his fingers along the sensitive arches to make Elijah laugh. As the toddler came down from his unexpected laughing fit, Greg pulled out the white paint and a little paint roller, "Okay, remember what I said?"

"yup!" Elijah said and hopped off the chair, "gots ta be caowful."

"Right." Greg dropped to his knees and rolled up his sleeve's before pouring out the paint onto a paper plate. He ran the roller through it, "Okay, left foot first." Greg said, tapping Elijah's left ankle to help him figure out which one he was talking about.

He ran the roller along the little foot, leaving the arch as free of paint as possible to get a more defined footprint. Once the foot was thoroughly coated but not dripping in excess, he set Elijah's foot on the bottom of the shirt and urged Elijah to shift his weight forward.

It took about twenty minutes before the shirt was finished, given that they had to let the paint dry on one side before starting on the opposite side. Once it was done, Greg pulled a bottle of light blue paint from the bucket and poured it onto another plate. He then sat back and watched as Elijah carefully signed his version of his nickname along the bottom hem of the shirt the best he could, next to his last foot print.

Greg dated it in the same blue paint and then held up the shirt, smiling, "Looks good babe."

"tanks!" Elijah grinned and looked at the shirt as well, "we hide it?"

"Oh boy." Greg looked back at the house and tried to think of a place Nick didn't go that often, "Well, Nick's birthday is Sunday so how about we hide it in Aunty Rayne's room? He doesn't go in there. We'll wrap it before he gets up tomorrow afternoon before dinner."

Elijah nodded, "dat sound good."

"Okay." Greg stood up and quickly packed away the paint supplies, "Let's get this in the house and you cleaned up before Nick gets home." A quick glance at his watch showed only a half an hour until Nick arrived, or so he figured since Nick hadn't called to lengthen the amount of time.

Both Sanders 'men' were lounging up in the playroom when Nick finally arrived home. Well, more like Greg was lounging, watching Mulan on the plasma TV while Elijah sat in the corner at his play table, alternating between watching the movie and playing with paint to hide the fact that there hadn't been enough time to bathe him.

"Hey G." Nick said, stepping into the room, "Everything okay?"

Greg lifted his head off the arm of the couch and smiled, "Everything is fine, why?"

Nick looked around and smiled as Elijah squealed and ran to him, "Normally, I get a sound welcome when we get home at different times." He caught Elijah around the waist and bent over to blow a raspberry on the small sliver of belly that had come uncovered.

Greg winked at Elijah as he looked over at him, "Eli was painting when I got home and I just kind of fell and didn't want to get back up."

Elijah squirmed out of Nick's grasp and ran back to his table. Nick sat down on the couch next to Greg's hips just as Elijah ran back over, "look!" He said, pushing the paper into Nick's hands.

Greg pushed himself up onto one arm to look as well. Elijah hadn't been working on the picture very long, but he had refused to show Greg what he had been drawing and Greg was definitely curious.

It was a typical toddler drawing, messy and scribbled out, but there were also distinct figures that was unique to most three-year-old drawings. He could make out himself, thanks to the messy locks of hair his son had bestowed on his drawing self, Nick, who's drawing self had short brown hair and a bit more mass to it's body, and right in between them with a large bubble grin was Elijah, who's shock of red hair and short stature gave him away.

"Wow, little man." Nick said as he took in the picture.

"dat lulu." Elijah said, pointing to a round circle with four legs coming off of it.

Greg smiled at his son, "We should put this over on the fridge." he said, referring to the one in the kitchenette that already had some of Elijah's older artwork on it from daycare. Greg was looking forward to filling the fridge to the brim soon. He wondered if he should thank Nick for getting his son into art as much as he had.

Since his fathers gift had arrived, a week after they had gotten home from the ranch, Nick had spent more time drawing and painting in his den, the nook the perfect place to do so now that he had an easel and storage area for his supplies.

Elijah had also taken to spending time in there with his own children's easel set alongside Nick's, which had previously gone unused since he had gotten it for his birthday. Sometimes Greg joined them, curled up on Nick's leather couch with his puzzle books, but it was usually just Nick and Elijah spending time together.

Elijah nodded happily and left the picture with them, racing back to the table. Nick set it on the end table and leaned back, resting against Greg's pelvis, "I would love some of his energy right now." He muttered.

Greg weaved his fingers with Nick's and lifted his hand to his mouth to kiss the back of it, "One more hour and Bobby'll be here to pick him up. Then it'll be sweet sleep for us."

-----

Nick blinked his eyes open and reached for Greg, frowning when his hands met cold sheets. He yawned and ran his hand over his face as he sat up. He gave a brief thought as to where his bedmate might have gotten to, but pressing matters, namely his full bladder, put off his mild curiosity.

He climbed out of bed and walked to the en-suite bathroom, stumbling down the small hallway leading to it as he swiped the sleep from his eyes. He pushed open the door and realized in that instant just how sound-proofed Uncle Rick had made the master bedroom and its attached bathroom. Greg was listening to one of his loud, heavy rock bands and Nick hadn't heard it, not even when he was standing just outside the closed bathroom door.

Curious as to what his boyfriend was actually doing, he stepped fully into the bathroom and looked beyond the linen closet to the large, whirlpool tub. Greg was happily ensconced in a mountain of bubbles, his hair plastered up into a point on the top of his head as he bobbed and weaved to the music.

Nick quickly used the toilet and stepped back out into the main bathroom, smirking when he saw that Greg still didn't know he was in the room. He leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and just watched as Greg played in the water.

After about ten minutes had passed, Nick couldn't take it anymore. Greg still hadn't noticed him and he was as hard as a rock from all the glimpses of smooth, tanned skin he had kept catching sight of as Greg moved around to the music.

He pushed himself away from the wall and cleared his throat when the player was in between songs. He didn't bother to hide his laugh as Greg jumped at the noise and whirled around to face him, splashing water and bubbles over the edge in the process.

"Sweet Jesus Nick." Greg said, grasping his chest, "Give a guy a heart attack why don't you."

Nick rolled his eyes and stepped closer to the tub, "Looking for some company?" he asked, then shook his head slightly as the question brought back memories of Greg's foot covered in mildew. He hadn't joined Greg that afternoon, but this time...

"I...suppose." Greg said, sounding a bit hesitant in his answer.

Nick sat down on the wide ledge, ignoring the fact that his ass was now sopping wet from the puddle Greg had left. He framed Greg's face with his hands and said, "I don't have to Greg. You're running this show and if you don't want me to, just say so. I'm not going to love you any less for it if you say no."

With Nick so close, he could hear and see Greg's gulp and he raised his eyes to meet the brown ones he loved to stare into. He could tell that Greg was scared, but he also had a look of determination on his face that caused Nick to smile.

"No, I want you to." Greg said after a moments hesitation.

Nick stared at Greg's face and despite the blush he could see rising along his cheekbones, Greg did not look away from him. Nick nodded and stood up. He hooked his thumbs in the waistband of his sleep pants and his boxer-briefs, keeping close watch on Greg's face for any misgivings.

Greg's gaze never left Nicks face, except for a few brief flickers down to Nick's waist.

"Last chance G." Nick said, as he began lowering the two layers of cloth slowly.

"Damn it Stokes, will you just get on with it?" Greg exclaimed.

Nick's eyes widened marginally as Greg's hands shot out of the bubble mountain they had been ensconced in, grabbed two good hand fulls of the plaid cloth at Nicks thigh's and tugged, letting them drop down into the soapy puddle at Nick's feet.

Greg's eyes instantly zoned in on the bulge at eye level and his blush intensified, "I uh, still want you to join me, but um, do you mind if I turn around while you remove," He pointed his finger at the blue cotton boxer briefs in front of his eyes, where he was still staring, "Those?"

"Nah Greg, go ahead." Nick answered, amused. Who knew that the guy who could shoot the shit with the best of them as well as talk about sex and all its kinky components, without breaking into a sweat, could blush so easily at the mere thought of full nudity in his presence.

Greg turned around and fiddled with the CD player sitting on the ledge that ran along the wall and Nick quickly dropped his underwear. He climbed into the wide, oval tub and sat down across from Greg, glad that the faucet was on the side of the tub instead of at the end like on most versions. He entwined his legs with Greg's and leaned back with a sigh.

Greg turned to face him and gave a half smile, "Sorry, I just..."

Nick knocked a knee into one of Greg's and shook his head, "Don't worry about it, G. This is a big step from half dressed."

Greg's hands twisted together under the water as he looked down, "I know, but I feel like a blushing bride or something. I'm a guy for cripes sake, you'd think nakedness and sex wouldn't bother me this much."

"Well, you certainly fit the bill of the girl in this relationship." Nick said, a snicker passing his lips as he remembered a few days earlier. He had gone to put Elijah down for his nap and when he returned to the kitchen, Greg had been wearing a frilly green apron and dancing around the kitchen as he worked on dinner, listening to one of his loud rock groups.

His amusement was cut short, however, when he caught sight of the troubled look on Greg's face, "What's on your mind, Greg?"

Greg bit his lip and then sighed and ran his hands through his hair, disrupting the Mohawk he had been sporting, "I'm scared." He murmured, still staring down at the water.

"Of what, sex?" Nick asked, feeling confused. Here he had been thinking that they had already hashed this out while at the ranch. How could he have missed that Greg was still having reservations about them having sex?

"No!" Greg's head shot up and his eyes locked with Nicks, "No, not about that."

Nick pulled his legs up and rested his arms on his knee's as he leaned forward, "Then what are you scared about?"

"Us." Greg shrugged, "I'm scared about us."

"Us? In what way?" Nick asked, now sounding more concerned then confused, "Look, if this is actually about us having sex you know you can..."

Greg clasped both hands into his hair and growled, "Will you drop the sex already? It's not about that!" By the end of his sentence, his voice had grown to a yell and his hands had dropped to slam onto something solid, a common move when he was frustrated. He forgot, however, about the water until his hands actually made contact and sent a large splash of water and bubbles up into both of their faces.

The luke warm water and the taste of soap calmed Greg down considerably and he tossed a dry washcloth at a spluttering Nick before wiping his own face down. He dropped the cloth onto the small hand bar and sighed, "Sorry."

Nick wiped down his own face and grimaced as he swallowed, "Shouldn't have had my mouth open." He stood up to reach the sink where the towels were resting and then blushed at the high pitched squeak that came from Greg's direction. He looked down and grimaced. He was still half hard from watching Greg earlier. He muttered his own sorry and quickly turned around. He grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist before stepping out of the tub.

"Where are you going?" Greg asked, his voice cracking slightly.

Nick turned around to look at him, "First I am going to get something to drink. Soap is disgusting." He then leaned down and gave Greg a reassuring kiss on the forehead, "Then we are going to talk about this. Something is bothering you and we're going to get to the bottom of it."

Greg caught the towel that was thrown at him as Nick reached the sink. He hit the stopper with his toe as he stood up, carefully holding the towel in front of him. He wrapped it around his waist when Nick took a drink and then climbed out of the tub. He glanced back at Nick before he left the bathroom and went into the larger of the two walk-in closets that separated the bathroom from the bedroom.

Nick sighed and threw back the last of his water before following, although he detoured off into his closet, the smaller of the two. He slid on a fresh pair of underwear and grabbed his navy blue plaid robe off the door, sliding it on as he went back out. He paused outside and tapped on the door frame of the other closet, "Greg? I'm gunna go down and get some coffee. I think you could use one."

Greg poked his head out from behind the built-in, double sided dresser and nodded, "Sounds good."

-----

Greg stood at one of the windows in the sitting room off of his bedroom, staring out into the vastness of the Mojave desert that spanned out beyond his backyard. He rubbed his arms as a cool blast of air shot across his body as the AC turned on.

"Here."

He turned around and smiled at Nick as he took the large mug, "Thanks." He took a sip and began fingering with the sleeve of his t-shirt, "I don't really know where to start."

Nick dropped onto an arm chair and set his coffee on the table between the two chairs before turning his full attention to Greg, "Well, I get that you're scared, but its the whys and whats that have me lost."

"Nick, we've never talked about where we're going with this. No plans beyond a few months have been made. I can understand why that is, really, but you gotta understand it's not just me thats invested in this relationship."

"Elijah." Nick stated.

Greg nodded, "You two have gotten so close. He really loves you Nick and that scares me." He set as mug on the mantle of the fireplace and began pacing, "On top of that, I don't want to push you into anything so it's almost like I'm being pulled in two directions. What my heart wants, which is you completely, and what my common sense is telling me."

Nick stared at him for a moment before asking, "And what is your common sense telling you?"

"That Elijah has to come first. Especially since he is about two steps shy of calling _you_ dad as well." Greg had only figured that out when Elijah wanted to make the t-shirt for Nick. It had been a slap upside the head when he realized the full implications of what the shirt had meant coming from the toddler. He ignored Nick's shell-shocked face and plowed on, "I still don't want to push you and it's not like I'm asking for marriage or anything like that..."

"Greg..."

"Of course...it's not like two men can get married, but thats not my point. I think we should just sit down and decide if we're both looking at something long term or..."

"Greg..."

"Or not, 'cause if you're not that's fine, but I really think I should know now before..."

"Greg!" Nick stood up and grabbed the lab-rat by the upper arms, stopping him in mid-step, "Calm down before you walk a hole down to the kitchen." He maneuvered Greg to the unoccupied chair and pressed his coffee into his hands, "Listen, I agree with you."

Greg stared up at him with wide eyes, "You...you do?"

Nick nodded and smiled softly, "Yeah, I do." He leaned over and knocked his forehead into Greg's, "and not just because I want to get into your pants, either."

"Idiot." Greg pushed him away and sighed. He slid down in the chair, rested his head on the back and swiveled it to look at Nick, who was sitting back down across from him, "So what do you propose then?" He blushed at his poor choice of words in light of his babbling, "And I don't mean that like it sounded either."

Nick chuckled softly and as Greg watched, Nick's eyes sort of glazed over. It would have been something to worry about if Nick hadn't started speaking just then, "When I realized I was into guys as well as girls I also realized that I tended to float more towards the males. I knew I wasn't going to be able to have a family, because while girls still turned me on, I wouldn't be happy with one for the long haul. Adoption never crossed my mind and neither did surrogates."

He smiled, "When I started falling for you, I still didn't think about kids or anything even though I had a broader perspective. Especially after meeting Randy and Jenna." Nick glanced over and met Greg's eyes, "No offense 'cause I know how much this bothers you, but at the time, I couldn't see you with a kid either."

Greg waved it off but didn't say anything. It was like there was a spell over Nick at the moment and he really didn't want to break it.

"Then I met Eli. I love my nieces and nephews, don't get me wrong, but that little man just grabbed hold of my heart right along with you and I realized I could have it all." He paused and then laughed, but to Greg, it sounded pretty depreciative, "I thought about that just before we started dating when I first found out about Elijah, actually. I imagined some of the guys I'd been with in the past with a kid and even then, I couldn't see myself staying with them.

"I know you already know that I'm not in this just for Elijah, but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you and the little man and like the thought of the three of us being a family someday."

Greg smiled, "Me too."

Nick eyebrows rose, "That's it?"

"That's it what?"

"I spill all of that and all you say is 'me too?'"

Greg blinked his eyes in confusion, "What more do you want me to say?"

Nick shook his head and stood up. He held out his hand to Greg, "Come here."

"What?" Greg took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. He wasn't expecting an extra tug, however, and he fell into Nick's arms. He grinned and turned his head so he was looking at Nick, "Hi."

Nick leaned in and whispered, "Hi." against his lips before closing the small gap.

Greg dropped Nicks hand and wrapped his arms around Nick's shoulders. Much to his annoyance, Nick kept the kiss soft and pulled away just as Greg was getting into it. He straighted up and stared straight on into Nick's eyes, loving that there was barely an inch in their height difference, even if it was a bit odd to him that he was the taller one. He could see the mischief crinkling Nick's eyes and before Nick had a chance to act on whatever was going on in his head, he tightened his grip on Nick's neck and tugged him forward.

This kiss was as passionate as the other had been soft and Greg felt himself drowning into it. When Nick finally forced his mouth open, Greg came back to himself and was surprised to find himself _keening_ at the back of his throat. With the way Nick's hands were scrambling for the bottom of his t-shirt, he could tell the sounds were turning the older man on and so he didn't bother with trying to stop them.

Nick's mouth left his own and began a half suckling, half kissing trek across his jaw to his neck that had Greg aching to wrap his arms and legs around Nick. Once Nick's hands made contact with his ass, he went with his feeling and slid a leg up and around Nicks hip while pushing himself up onto tip-toe with the other.

Nick got the idea and his hands clasped where they were resting before lifting Greg fully off his feet. Greg wrapped both legs around the trim waist and tightened his grip with one arm as he slid a hand up to Nicks hair and pulled. He got enough distance between Nick's mouth and his neck to dip in and take another kiss.

Greg deepened the kiss this time, being in the better position to do so. He was so intent on making Nick moan and shiver that he hadn't noticed Nick walking until he was pressed up tight against the stone of the rooms fireplace. Greg pulled away from the kiss and leaned against the stonework, breathing heavily. He licked his lips and watched as Nick's eyes narrowed and honed in on his visible tongue.

Greg was caught unaware as Nick surged forward again, pressing their bodies together and joining their mouths. Greg's eyes shot open seconds later as Nick pressed further into him and he pulled away from the kiss, "Nick..." He panted out while avoiding the Texans mouth, "Nick, we gotta stop."

Nick pulled back, "Going too fast?" He asked through his own gasps for air.

"Not really, no." Greg shifted and grimaced, "Just...the stone is pressing into my back and it really, really hurts."

-----

TBC...

More talking...talk talk talk...lol...it was needed tho. Let me know what you all think! Thanks.


	12. Chapter 11 August 2002

Another short chapter -sigh- Ah well, what can you do.

Thank you all for the reviews...Someday I'll reply individually...someday...

-----

August

-----

Greg reached out to swipe some frosting from the edge of the cake and winced when a rubber spatula made firm contact with his fingers, "Ow."

Catherine brandished the spatula in front of her as if it were a sword, "Then don't come near the cake. It is officially off-limits to everyone but yours truly until after dinner."

"Aw, come on Cath, not even a taste?" Greg said, pulling out the doe eyes that could make his parents, grandparents, and sometimes even Nick cave to his feet.

"Don't even attempt that on me. You can't top Linds and I don't even let her get away with it most of the time." Catherine lifted the half-sheet cake and walked over to the fridge to slide it in, careful to avoid disrupting the letters or plastic designs.

Greg kicked the counter and eyed the left-over ingredients in front of him, "Can I lick the bowl?"

Catherine shut the fridge door and turned to look at Greg, who was practically salivating. She rolled her eyes and pushed the bowl over to him, "Eat up. You'll need the extra sugar for tonight anyway."

Greg froze, fingers halfway to his mouth, "If I had known you were going to tease I would have asked War...rick..." He trailed off and then shook his head, "Never mind. He teases worse than you." He flicked his fingers at Catherine. He laughed at the squeal that emitted from her as the frosting landed on her cheek.

"Oh, you're going _down_ little boy." Catherine grabbed one of the frosting tubes and squirted it at him. He laughed again and dove out of the way, but not fast enough as the frosting hit him on the ear and neck. He lunged for the powdered sugar and flung a handful at her.

Through the sugar dust floating around her, Catherine aimed two more tubes and squeezed, the streams of gel frosting landing with perfect accuracy in his hair.

"Three stores Greg! I am never picking up specialty flavors ever again...What the hell is going on?"

Both Catherine and Greg came to a dead halt and turned towards the entry way. Sara was standing there with a plastic bag in each hand, eyes wide as she took in her co-workers. Greg smiled, flashing his teeth, "Hi Sara. Should get the ice cream into the freezer before it melts."

Sara nodded and skirted around the powdered mess surrounding Catherine. She slid a little in the frosting by Greg but made it to the fridge with no other mishaps. She pulled out the freezer drawer and dropped one of the bags inside. As she shut it, Sara turned to Greg and held up the other, a blue Wal-Mart bag that passed as Sara's version gift wrapping, "Nick's gift. Where do you want me to..."

"Table in the family room. I'm gunna go get this gunk out of my hair." Greg stuck his tongue out at Catherine as he turned around to head up the back stairs.

"Hey Greg? What about me?" Catherine called out and pointed to her hair and clothes that were finally dusted in sugar.

Greg rolled his eyes, "You can use Rayne's shower and I'm sure there's something in her closet to suit your impeccable tastes while those get washed." He opened the door leading to the hall and glanced at Sara who was making her way out of the kitchen, "When you finish doing that, would you check on the vegetables on the stove? Just don't open the pan in the oven."

"Why? What are we having?"

"We are having forgotten chicken. _You_ are having everything else." He watched in amusement as both womens faces turned green, "Relax, will you? It's called forgotten chicken because you don't look at it for the two and a half hours it cooks. The chicken _was_ _fresh_ when I bought it."

-----

Greg shook his head at Catherine's offer of cake and ice cream. He was way too nervous to even think of putting any more food into his stomach. While part of his nerves stemmed from thoughts of his plans for the next couple of nights, the other part was squirming about Nick opening the gifts from him and Elijah and what his reactions to them would be.

He had thought a lot on his and Nick's talk the other night, so much so that he had become distracted at work. Grissom had even caught him staring off into space more than once, much to the older mans annoyance. When he got home that morning, he had gone up to Rayne's room and took the shirt out of the gift bag they had placed it in and stared at it for over an hour.

Between the talk and his thinking at work, he had come to realize just what this gift was going to imply. He also figured out that he was ready for it. Nick mentioned wanting to be part of the family someday and Greg had to wonder if Nick knew he already was. He had then repacked the gift bag and decided that he was going to 'add on' to Nick's gift. A phone call to Catherine had put it in to motion when she agreed to take Elijah for the next couple of nights. A little research and two more phone calls later, his surprise for Nick had been ready.

"All right, time for gifts. This one is from me." Sara said, setting her plate onto the table and tossing Nick the bag she had placed there earlier.

Nick let out a huff of air as the bag landed on his lap, "Geeze, Sara, what's in this thing? That hurt."

Sara laughed along with everyone else, "Open it and find out."

Nick tugged at the handles that were tied together and opened the bag. He pulled out the card and snickered as he read. He passed it to Greg who laughed as well at the insulting yet funny inscription, and making sure it avoided Elijah's grasping fingers, he passed it on to Warrick. While the card went around, Nick dug into the bag and pulled out a square box. He read the list on the cover of what it contained and then turned wide eyes to Sara.

"Figured you needed something new." Sara said, smiling.

"Thanks." Nick replied, and gave her a smile in return. He handed the box to Greg who read over the contents as well. It was a collection of nature CD's that blended natural sounds with smooth jazz, a genre of music Nick liked to have playing in the background as he worked on his art, "CD's." Nick continued, noticing everyones confused looks.

Greg shuffled forward and dug through the pile on the table. He pulled out a rectangular gift and crawled back to his spot on the floor, "This is from Rayne and Mark, along with their apologies for missing your party."

Nick read the card and as that one got passed around, he tore into the present. He gasped as the metallic wrapping paper fell away and looked at Greg, "How did they know?"

Greg shrugged, "I think Rayne's been digging into your stash and she knows I don't watch his movies."

Nick held up the gift for everyone to see. It was John Wayne's _Hatari_, one of the four he was missing that would finish off his collection. Warrick's gift was next, the standard sports video games that they gave each other every year. Grissom had gotten him two bird anthologies with beautiful illustrations of rare birds as well as more common ones. Brass' gift, which had been sent along with Grissom, was one of the major shockers of the night. Three football tickets to the December 8th Cowboy's home game, which had Greg shaking both his head and hands when Nick handed them to him with a wink, as well as a Cowboy's hat.

Catherine picked up the second to last present on the table and handed it over, knowing that Greg wanted to go last, "This is mine and Lindsey's. Have Elijah help open this one. It's sort of for both of you."

Greg glared at Catherine, who sent him a knowing look back. She was jumping the gun a bit at this point and they both knew it. Luckily for her, or rather for Greg, Nick hadn't picked up on the implications and looked at Elijah, who was now sitting in front of the fireplace behind Greg playing 'Hi Ho Cherry-o' with Lindsey, "C'mere little man and help me with this one."

"k!" Elijah nodded and jumped to his feet. He slithered around Greg and climbed up onto Nick's lap, sitting himself so he was in the crook of the arm chair and Nick's chest, his legs spread out in front of him to hold the present. Nick slid his fingers under the triangle flap and pulled his hand back for Elijah to tear in, which he did with much gusto.

As the paper fell away, Nick grinned and gave Elijah a one armed hug before looking up at Catherine, "I can not believe you got me a Harry Potter box set."

Catherine laughed and leaned back on the couch, "It wasn't a hard choice, really. You were talking about wanting to read them when we had that B&E at Borders last week."

"Yeah, but still..." Nick trailed off and ran a finger along the lightning bolt on the front of the box, "New bedtime stories for you, Eli."

Elijah nodded, "hawwy cool."

Greg leaned over the opposite arm of the chair and tweaked his son's toe, "And you know this how?"

"Me! I was tellin' him about them." Lindsey said, as she joined the group after picking up the game. She plopped down on Greg's lap and folded her legs so she was sitting Indian style, "Warrick's been helping me with my reading and I chose those. They're really good."

"Yeah, they ain't bad which is a good thing since I have to listen to her read them." Warrick said, snorting as he took a drink of his soda.

"All right. Last gift is from Greg and Elijah." Sara said, tossing the gift bag to Nick.

No one was surprised to see Elijah start bouncing on Nick's lap in youthful anticipation, but it was surprising to see Greg wrap his arms around Lindsey as if he was comforting himself. Nick didn't notice, as he was too busy digging through the tissue paper. He pulled out the card first and opened the envelope, which Greg had kept closed with about a mile of tape, thanks to his nervousness.

The outside of the card was simple for all its implications. It had a square gift, wrapped in beige paper with black and gold ribbon around it. There was a orange colored rose lying in front of it and half over a small card that said 'I love you!.' It had taken Greg over two hours to choose it, but the smile he received from Nick made it worth the time spent.

The inside, though, that was what was causing Greg to squirm internally. It was plain on the right side of the card except for the 'Happy 32nd' that he had written on it, but on the left was his gift to Nick, details written out and carefully planned.

After working it out with Grissom, he had gifted Nick with a three day, two night romantic get-away to Lake Tahoe starting that night. He was glad for the fact that Catherine had urged him to have the party in the afternoon before their normal shift time, so they would have all night to spend at the hotel awake instead of getting there and dropping off from lack of sleep right away.

The resort was gay friendly, a place that Bobby and Randy had stayed at a few times and had recommended when he had called them the day before. It was about a block from the lake and close to a lot of outdoor activities, including Heavenly Village and its gondola ride, an activity that he knew would appeal to Nick. He had lucked out when he called for reservations, catching the one room cabin just in time as the previous renters had backed out.

He looked up from where he had been burying his face in Lindsey's strawberry scented hair and saw that Nick was staring at him with narrowed eyes. Greg could see the lust building but there was an underlying curiosity as well as to why Greg had picked that as a gift. Greg shrugged his shoulders and looked at Elijah, who's bouncing was getting even more rambunctious the longer Nick ignored his gift.

The toddler apparently couldn't take in the fact that his gift was being ignored and he pinched Nick on the arm. Nick hissed and looked down, "Elijah, that wasn't nice. We don't pinch people."

Elijah's look was petulant as he pointed at the gift bag, "mine. you open."

"You'd better do as he says, Nicky, before he pinches you again." Grissom said, smiling behind his mug of coffee. He was clearly enjoying himself and feeling good enough to let the teasing side of his personality make an appearance.

Nick crossed his eyes in response to his bosses light heckling but heeded his warning and started to dig through the tissue paper once more. He pulled out the shirt from the bottom of the bag and chuckled softly when he had to unwrap it from tissue paper also. He finally had it open and held it up, his breath catching when he saw Eli's messy signature at the bottom. He took in the footprints, following them up the front of the shirt and turning it to follow them down the back. He brought the shirt down and kissed the top of Elijah's head and murmured, "I love it." before glancing at Greg.

Greg bit his lip, knowing that Nick wanted an explanation behind the shirt and that he had obviously caught the depth but not the full meaning of it. He turned pleading eyes to his friends, not really wanting them to witness what was sure to be an emotional breakdown on his end.

Warrick slapped his legs and stood up, "I have to use the bathroom."

Catherine motioned for Lindsey and then turned to Sara and Grissom, "Would you two mind helping me in the kitchen? We left quite a mess behind earlier."

Both of them nodded and everyone left the room with Elijah scrambling after Lindsey, Nick's Harry Potter box set clutched tightly in his hands as he begged more tales out of his friend about the scarred wizard.

Greg sighed and stood up, "Do you really love the shirt?" He asked, running his fingers along the item in question, trailing a path up the small footprints belonging to his son.

"I do." Nick's own finger tips followed Greg's, "I sense there's more to this then Elijah giving me a shirt, though."

Greg nodded and sat down on the coffee table so he was facing Nick, "Remember the other night when I said Elijah was only a few steps shy of calling you dad?" Nick nodded but didn't say anything, "Well, this shirt was actually his idea. My dad has one almost exactly like it that...that I made when I was around Elijah's age. He, um, he still wears it and Elijah has heard the story behind it many times and it means a lot to him. He just had to make one for you."

Nick looked down at the shirt, and to Greg, it looked like he was looking at it with a whole new set of eyes. Those of a proud parent, "Wow." He whispered. He looked up sharply and his intense gaze, the one that used to have Greg on the edge of cowering away, settled on him, "You..."

Greg smirked suddenly, not able to take the pressure, and cracked a joke, "You're a CSI. Put together the pieces."

Nick glared at him but did as suggested. He looked at the shirt again, once more skimming the footprints with his fingertips before picking up the card that contained Greg's gift. He re-read the details Greg had laid out before going back and reading them a third time. Finally, just as Greg was ready to just blurt out what was going on, Nick smiled. A big, beautiful smile that took Greg's breath away, "You mean it?"

"Nick, I don't know if you realized it but you've been a part of this family since you moved in. All I'm doing is acknowledging that fact and just," Greg gave shy smile, "hoping you'll do the same."

"I..." It seemed like for the first time since they had started dating, or hell since they had first met, Greg had knocked Nick into speechlessness. Nick looked at the card and then back at Greg, "Are you sure you want this?"

Greg didn't need Nick to clarify what 'this' was, "I'm sure. Catherine's taking Elijah and we're already packed so..." He trailed off, suddenly feeling and sounding uncertain. Nick had only said that he wanted to talk in the future about being a family. Maybe he thought that two days was really a lot sooner then he anticipated or even wanted, for that matter.

Nick caught the hesitation and placed the gifts on the floor before reaching out and grabbing Greg's hand, "G, listen. I meant what I said the other night. Every word. I haven't changed my mind about anything and I'm elated that Elijah thinks that much of me. To actually be considered one of his dads or even close to _being_ one of his dads is an amazing thing. For _you_ to recognize it and to even want that, however, means even more to me. I want this. A lot."

Greg gave a sigh of relief and tugged on Nick's hand, pulling him out of the chair and onto his knees in front of Greg. Greg ran his fingers along Nick's jaw line and smiled, "I love you."

Nick caught the wandering hand and turned his head a bit to kiss the fingers, "Love you too."

"Is it safe to come back in now?"

Both men turned and smiled as Catherine peered around the corner, looking disgruntled for some reason, "Yeah, it's safe to come back in." Nick said as he sat back onto his heels.

"Thank God." Catherine's head disappeared and not even seconds later they learned the reason behind Catherine's frustration as Elijah barreled into the room and ran straight into Nick's arms. She had probably been trying to keep him from coming back into the room while they talked.

"wead hawwy 'fowe bed?" he asked, looking back and forth between the two men.

Greg leaned over and blew a raspberry into Elijah's neck, "Not tonight, my little mouse. You're going to spend the night with Lindsey."

"Yeah, we'll start the books in a couple of days, okay?" Nick added as he placed his own raspberry to the opposite side of the toddlers neck.

"okay."

TBC...

See...short...but thats cause of what happens in the next chapter and the way it split up. The next one is like, enormous compared to this one...hehehe, bet ya'll can't wait tor the next update now.


	13. Chapter 12 August 2002

Okay...this is one long ass chapter. lol. It's also one that some (or most) of you have been waiting for.

**WARNING:** Sex of the non-graphic variety. What you see is what you get and none of my sex scenes get any more graphic than what's below. I get any complaints of _any_ kind on that thing and I'll pull all future scenes like it. Got it? Good.

Thank you for all your fabulous reviews and keep in mind the warning!

---,---

August

-------

Greg stepped out of the office and pointed to the cabin that was roughly twenty feet to the right of them, "That one's ours. The Streisand."

Nick took in the small, tin-roofed cabin, "Streisand. As in...Barbara Streisand?"

"Yes, as in Barbara Streisand. Don't complain. It's the only one bedroom cabin they have and we're lucky to have it." Greg said, dragging his suitcase behind him as he made his way towards the cabin.

Nick followed in his wake even as he looked around the rest of the 'resort.' There were a total of seven buildings, including the rec room, which sported not only a few pool tables and ping pong tables, but also a cafeteria styled eating area for those who didn't feel like cooking their own food or going out. Picnic tables and grills were stationed outside of each cabin for individual use along with stand alone hammocks. There was even a pool and hot tub in the far corner, blending in with the river rock wall that surrounded the property.

For the time of evening that it was, there was only one other couple, two females, sitting outside the cabin next to theirs. They were cuddled up together on a lounger with a small dog nestled between their legs, enjoying the cooling night air.

They both smiled and waved at the male couple as Greg fumbled with the lock. Nick waved back just as Greg got the door open and practically fell into the room. Nick laughed and caught Greg's arm, helping to keep him on his feet. Greg gave him a sheepish grin and went the rest of the way inside to drop his shoulder bag on the couch.

Nick shut the door behind them and brought the bags of food they had stopped to get into the full sized kitchen, putting away the perishables into a thankfully spotless fridge. Greg, who wanted Nick all to himself for as much as he could, decided to forgo eating in the rec room, figuring them cooking would be no different than what they did at home anyway.

Greg took their suitcases into the bedroom and tossed them onto the bed, intending to unpack. He hated living out of a suitcase whenever he went somewhere, no matter how long he was staying, a small quirk that had started when he was much younger and spent some of his holidays with his aunt and uncle.

"I think your bathroom spoiled me, G. This shower is really small." Came Nick's voice from inside the bathroom.

Greg laughed, "What, does that mean no shower acrobatics for us while we're here?"

"Greg, unless you're a lot more limber than you look, there is no way the two of us would fit in that thing even while plastered together." Nick said, stepping into the bedroom, "You hungry? You didn't eat much earlier."

Greg shut both suitcases and set them in the offset of the room that was being passed off as a closet, "I've got the munchies, actually. Just don't want anything heavy at the moment."

Nick nodded and leaned over to kiss Greg's neck, "I'll go put something together. Why don't you put on some music and start a fire."

"All right." Greg kissed Nick's cheek and mouth, "Why do I feel like I'm being not-so-subtly seduced?"

"'Cause you are?"

Greg laughed and started out of the room, only to yelp in surprise when he received a sound swat to his ass, "Nick!" He exclaimed as he whipped around, rubbing his ass. He sounded scandalized, but he felt more amused than anything.

Nick gave him an overly innocent look and pushed him out of the room and past the kitchen, "Go. Music and fire."

Greg saluted and scooted out of arms reach of his boyfriend quickly, not willing to receive another ass swat anytime in the near future. He went about pulling out some of Nick's jazz music, which he had liberated that afternoon when Nick had been out with Warrick, from his shoulder bag and placed the CD in the player provided by the resort, but didn't turn it on yet.

He went out to grab the cord of wood he had bought for the fire from the porch and had to laugh when the couple next door looked up startled when they heard the door squeak as he opened it. He had caught them in the middle of a light make out session.

"Sorry." He called before grabbing the wood and going back inside. He snickered as he half dragged, half carried the cord over to the wood holder next to the fireplace.

Nick came out of the kitchen and placed a champagne bottle and a plate of cheeses and fruit on the table, "What's so funny?"

"I walked out on the couple next door. They were well on their way to doing what we're planning on doing tonight." Greg replied. He shoved two logs into the fireplace and added some kindling.

Despite the six fireplaces in his home and the one at his parents place, he had never really mastered the technique of lighting one quickly and smoothly. He sent up a quick prayer as he added a bit of paper to the fireplace as a fail safe to the kindling.

As Nick watched, he could spot a sliver of tongue that slipped out of Greg's mouth as he concentrated on getting the fire started. It was making him want to go over there and ravish him right there on the spot. Shaking himself out of the slight reverie he had gone into, he poured out two flutes of champagne before putting the bottle away. He wanted Greg relaxed, not tipsy or even worse, drunk.

"Ah ha!" The fire finally started, much to Greg's happiness, and he stood up and brushed off the seat of his pants. He hit the play button on the CD player and walked over to the small dining area, taking the offered glass with a smile. He took a sip and set the glass down on the table, his interest more on the food.

"You and Elijah up to going to that football game with me? They're playing against the 49ers." Nick asked after he took a sip of his own champagne.

Greg snorted and popped a grape into his mouth before reaching for a slice of cheese, "I was wondering how long it would be until you brought that up. I think Elijah's a tad young to be going to a pro-football game. There is no way it would hold his attention."

"What about you?"

"Or mine, despite the teams playing." Greg took another sip of his champagne and walked around the table to slip an arm around Nick's waist, "I don't mind watching football if there's other things to keep me occupied at the same time. I also don't think football enthusiasts would be to happy if I sat through most of the game doing crossword puzzles or something." He kissed Nick when he opened his mouth to say something, "You know what else I think?"

"What?" Nick asked, an amused look coming onto his face. He knew where this was going.

Greg set his glass down and then took Nick's and set it down as well, "Take Warrick." He stepped away from Nick and took his hand, leading him into the living room, "Take Kieran too. He should be out here by then if the promotion goes through."

This time it was Nick's arm sliding around a waist and he pulled Greg to him so he was settled along his chest and hip, half under his arm, "All right."

Greg's eyes narrowed even as he slung his arm up along Nick's back in between his shoulder blades, his fingers sweeping lightly over the back of his neck, "That was too easy. You had that whole thing planned from the moment you opened those tickets, didn't you."

"Maybe." Nick laughed and kissed the corner of Greg's mouth. He grabbed Greg's free hand and raised it while using his hip to gently push Greg into a swaying motion in time with the music, "I have to admit, this was more fun then just flat out telling you I was going to take them."

Greg snorted in amusement and dropped his head to rest in the crook of Nick's neck. They swayed to the music for some time before Nick slid his hand free from Greg's. He placed it on the side of Greg's face and ran his thumb across his lips. Greg stared up at him before leaning in and pressing his lips to Nick's.

Nick kissed back, not bothering to keep the kiss slow. It escalated quickly and it wasn't long before hands were gripping and massaging skin under their shirts. He pulled away for air and grabbed the hem of Greg's shirt to pull it off. Greg raised his arms to allow it before tugging off Nick's shirt as well.

The next kiss was practically bruising as warm skin met for the first time in passion. Greg broke the kiss next and made his way down Nick's neck to his chest, interspersing suckling kisses and nuzzling, butterfly kisses. Nick groaned as Greg licked and bit his collarbone, a hot spot that Greg had picked up on with unerring accuracy.

"G...Greg...bedroom please." Nick gasped out as Greg honed in on a nipple.

Greg lifted his head and kissed Nick, sweeping his tongue through his mouth before biting his bottom lip. Nick pulled away and grabbed Greg's jeans by the belt loops and began pulling him towards the bedroom quickly. He figured if they didn't get there soon, they'd end up starting the sex in the living room with no supplies and wide open windows.

The walk to the bedroom calmed Nick down considerably, which was a good thing in his opinion. While wild and crazy sex was a great thing, it wasn't what he had in mind for Greg's first time. It wouldn't do for the younger man to be so tense and nervous that it wasn't pleasurable for him.

He kissed Greg softly and then stepped away, "Jeans off." He smiled as Greg hurried to comply, fumbling with his button and zipper, "Then lay down on the bed. I have to go get some things."

Greg's mouth dropped open even as his pants fell to the floor. He kicked them away along with his shoes and socks and stood there in his boxers as Nick left the bedroom. He shrugged and laid down. He rested his hands behind his head and sighed as he sunk into the comfortable bedding.

He was almost glad that their first time together was going to be with him on the bottom. He was pretty sure that if he topped, he would probably wind up coming rather quickly. Something _he_ certainly didn't want. This little preference had almost started a fight on the drive up. He had been able to make Nick understand why he wanted what he did, but Nick could be very stubborn and almost hadn't given in.

Speaking of Nick, Greg raised his head as the Texan walked back into the bedroom, sans jeans and a bottle and box in his hands. He tossed the box onto the side table and crawled onto the bed, leaning over to kiss Greg. As they explored each others mouths, Greg heard a soft click and he pulled away from Nick to see what it was.

"Oil." Nick said, holding up the bottle in Greg's line of vision.

Greg's eyebrows creased in confusion, "What for? I get the lube thing, but I'm still in my boxers."

"I know." Nick rolled his eyes and poured some out onto his hand, "Turn over."

Greg did so and rested his head on his arms. He took a deep breath and let it out as a happy sigh as a strong aroma of tropical fruits washed over him. It should have crossed his mind that Nick was planning on giving him a massage, but it hadn't. He jumped and had to bite back a squeal as the cool liquid dripped on his back. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder as Nick situated himself so he was sitting on his lower back.

Nick grinned at him, dimples showing, as he ran his fingers teasingly down his back. Greg bucked under Nick's weight when the fingers hit a particularly sensitive spot mid-back. He glared over his shoulder and then dropped his head back down onto his arms as Nick suddenly dug in with the heals of his hands.

It wasn't long before Greg was groaning and squirming under Nick's ministrations, the noise coming from his throat in one long note as Nick added licking to the massage, his tongue following the path of his hands. Nick also worked his legs and feet, a surprisingly erotic thing to Greg who had never had his feet massaged, let alone kissed and worshiped as if they were a rare treat to be savored.

When Nick tugged on his boxers, he lifted his hips quickly, so immersed in both the pleasure and relaxation that Nick was providing that he just wanted it to continue, self-consciousness be damned. The first swipe of Nick's tongue along his ass cheek had him crying out and the addition of Nick's hands and the now warm oil had him fisting the pillow beneath his head.

At Nick's urging, he raised his hips again and practically sobbed as the pillow that was slid under him scrapped along his erection. He then pushed himself up onto one arm and turned his upper body as much as he could to meet Nick in a desperate kiss. He gasped into the hot mouth as Nick's body settled on top of his. The erection resting along the cleft of his ass almost brought him crashing back into reality, but Nick was licking the sensitive spot in his mouth, an action that had been proved on many occasions to send him into orbit quickly.

He pulled away and gasped in enough air to say, "Now damn it."

Nick searched his face and met his eyes before nodding. He knew there was no point in asking if Greg was sure, "Just remember to tell me if it hurts or if you want me to stop. Don't force it." Nick said, his voice husky and his southern drawl strong from arousal.

Greg nodded as well and ignored the bereft feeling that overcame him as Nick lifted himself up onto his hands and knees. He dropped his head back down onto the pillow, but kept it turned to watch Nick fumble with the box of condoms and then the condom itself. With the protection in place, Nick reached for the oil again and seconds later Greg was once again crying out in pleasure.

"Oh God...Nick...please!" The preparations were going to be the death of him. It had never felt this good when he had played with himself and when the fingers left him he let out a disappointed moan.

"Soon, G." Nick said, his own breaths coming in gasps. If Greg had it in him at the moment, he'd have been surprised that Nick sounded as turned on as he did without receiving much physical pleasure in return for what he was giving, but he wasn't and he gave a happy moan as Nick's weight settled on him once more and a slow pressure began building where the fingers had been.

It didn't hurt. As Nick entered him for the first time, that was the first thought to cross his mind as he had been sure as hell that it would. But beyond the pressure and initial discomfort, there was no pain. He shifted his hips as much as he could and whimpered when Nick stopped, "Nooo, why are you stopping?"

Nick peered down at him over his shoulder, eyes narrowed in both restraint and concern, "You okay?"

"Yeah. Would be even better if you'd do something!" Greg all but yelled, shifting his hips again.

Nick chuckled, low and husky, and dropped his forehead to Greg's shoulder. He obeyed Greg's order and started to move, his pace slow and steadfast. It wasn't long before Greg was arching back to meet him on every entry. Nick raised himself up onto his arms to gain more leverage before speeding up his thrusting. This also gave him a slightly different angle that caused Greg to yell out as what could only be described as shock waves began enveloping his body from fingers to toes.

"Nick...oh...gotta come, gotta come, gotta come..." Greg began to chant and he struggled to slide a hand under his body without disrupting the rapidly speeding up tempo of their hips.

Nick, catching sight of what Greg was trying to do, began to slow down the rhythm and, ignoring Greg's cry of dismay, shifted his weight onto his knees. The slightly new position left his hands free and he slid them under Greg and lifted him, pulling them both up into a kneeling position.

He wrapped his arms around Greg's chest and resumed thrusting, panting heavily into the ear his mouth was resting by. The shock waves were still enveloping Greg's body and the need to come intensified. With one hand grasping Nick's hip, he slid the other up over the Texans shoulder and turned his head, his intent clear. Their mouths clashed hungrily and Nick, knowing almost subconsciously what Greg wanted, ran his tongue roughly along the roof of his mouth, all finesse gone.

Greg's breath caught at that moment and his orgasm erupted from him without being touched. He dug his nails into the skin his fingers were grasping and clenched his eyes shut as he climaxed, his head falling back to land on Nick's shoulder. Nick never stopped his movements and it felt as though his orgasm was being lengthened and pushed out of Greg with each snap of Nick's hips. His clenching muscles and the pleasure/pain his nails had instilled managed to push Nick over. Three sharp and shallow jabs were all it took before Nick was biting Greg's shoulder and coming as well, all but roaring around the skin his mouth was attached to.

Greg collapsed against Nick and gasped for air, the longevity of his orgasm leaving him almost beyond breathless. When they were both able to breathe without sounding as if they were going to pass out at any moment, Greg lifted his head to look at Nick. He raised his hand to wipe away some of the sweat that had accumulated on Nick's forehead and temple before leaning in and kissing him softly, murmuring "love you." against his lips.

Nick kissed him back before returning the endearment and then trailed a line of kisses along Greg's jaw to his ear. He suckled on the soft lobe for a moment and then pulled away, dropping back to sit on his heals. His hands were now making sweeping motions along Greg's sides and he could feel himself softening, "Lift up G. Slowly, so you don't hurt yourself."

"'Kay." Greg lifted up slowly and winced as Nick came free of his body. He felt terribly empty once Nick was all the way out and he chuckled inwardly as he began counting down the minutes until they could do this again and Nick would be back inside him.

He let Nick push him down onto the bed, back on his stomach and away from the wet spot, or rather trail, that he had made. He felt Nick climb off the bed and wondered how he could even move after that.

"Hey Greg?"

"Hmn?" was about all he could manage and he snuggled happily down into the pillow he was hugging.

"What's the service like here?" Nick asked, walking back into the room with a wet washcloth in hand.

Greg shrugged and let out a gasp as Nick slid the cloth along his back and ass, cleaning off as much of the oil as he could, "Why?"

Nick dropped the cloth on the floor, tossed the pillow Greg's hips had been resting on earlier after it, and with a bit of help from a very lethargic Greg, dropped the comforter on top of the small pile, "'Cause I'm thinking if we have maid service, they're not going to be too happy with the state of that blanket and pillowcase."

Greg chuckled sleepily and rolled over onto his side as Nick dropped next to him. He curled up along the warm body and nuzzled his face into the smooth shoulder, content.

-----

Greg blinked his eyes open and smiled as he stretched his way through a yawn. He felt great. They had had sex twice more before finally succumbing to sleep and Greg had even topped once. He had been right on his assessment on how long he would end up lasting though, much to his embarrassment. He had offered to bring Nick off with his hands and mouth, but Nick had declined and taken him again instead. Nick had kept it slow and held him close, comforting him and coaxing a third orgasm from him at the same time.

He heard the shower turn on and wished that the stall wasn't so small. He would have loved to join Nick. Instead, he climbed out of bed and pulled on his boxers. He winced at the twinge of discomfort that flitted up his spine from his ass, but decided to ignore it, knowing it was well worth what they had done to feel that.

In the kitchen, he found the makings for his coffee and started a pot. His stomach was starting to growl in hunger, but he wanted to wait until they got to the Village to eat. Bobby had regaled him with tales of a cafe dedicated to Nestle Toll House and he was anxious to get his hands on their area famous brownies.

He heard Nick step into the room behind him, the linoleum cracking under his feet as he left the carpeted area. His smile widened to a silly grin as Nick's arms slipped around his waist and his chin landed on his shoulder, "Any plans for the afternoon?" Nick asked.

"Yup, so no eating." Greg turned around and gave Nick a leisurely kiss before stepping away, "My turn in the shower. You didn't use all the hot water did you?"

Nick shook his head and followed Greg into the bedroom, "No. Anything specific you want me to wear?"

Greg paused at the bathroom door and looked back at Nick, "You're asking _me_ for clothing advice?"

"You're the one who made the plans. I'm just going along."

"T-shirt and jeans are fine." Greg said with a snort as he stripped out of his boxers and tossed them into the bedroom. A muffled, "Hey!" had him snickering and he peaked through the door just in time to see Nick pull the boxers off his head, "Sorry."

"Uh huh. Take your shower G." Nick said as he tossed the shorts into the pile of clothes by the suitcases.

"Right."

A thorough shower and twenty minutes in front of the sink afterwards and Greg was just about ready to go. He left the bathroom and laughed as a mug was shoved in his face, "Aw, Nick, thanks."

Nick smiled and tweaked a spike of hair, "It's getting long."

Greg batted Nick's hand away, "And I'm not cutting it, so don't ask."

"Wouldn't dream of it. I like it like this. Think your highlights need to be touched up though."

"I know. Rayne's gunna do it again next week." He shouldered past Nick and set his coffee down on the side table and pulled his clothes off the hanger, an electric blue t-shirt that he had shrank a few times on accident since getting it during his college days and a pair of slightly too baggy jeans. When he sat down to pull on his socks and shoes, he happened to glance up at Nick, who was staring at him with narrowed eyes.

His own eyes narrowed in response. He had a strong feeling that he knew exactly what Nick was thinking, "Don't even think about it Stokes. We start anything now and we'll never leave."

"Aw, Greg..."

"Nuh uh." He finished tying his shoe and stood up, grabbing up his coffee and taking a long drag before turning and herding Nick out of the bedroom. He deposited his cup in the dishwasher and stopped in the living room long enough to grab his wallet and the cabin keys out of the shoulder bag still sitting on the couch, "Ready?"

Nick crossed his arms and frowned, "I suppose. How are we getting to where ever it is that we're going?"

"Walking."

Nick looked back at Greg as they went outside and dropped his arms in surprise, "We're walking? So it's not that far?"

"Nope. Six or seven blocks." He reached out an arm and offered Nick his hand. Nick took it with a smile and they started out of the resort, fingers laced together.

The walk to the Village was made in a comfortable silence, both men just enjoying being in each others presence and delighting in the fact that no one gave a second glance to their clasped hands.

The first thing Greg saw when they were still a block away was the gondola lowering itself to its ground base, but that was only because he was looking for it. He went to point it out to Nick and as he turned to do so, he saw that Nick's eyes were already glued on the enclosed metal basket.

"Greg?"

"Hmm?"

Nick pointed in the direction of the ride that was now hidden from view by the village shops, "Was that part of your plans?"

Greg nodded and squeezed Nick's hand, "Yeah, although it's your choice on whether you want to take that first or get something to eat."

"Let's take a ride first." Nick picked up speed and pulled a laughing Greg along behind him, aiming for the gondola ride on the opposite side of the village.

Greg paid for the tickets and the two men stepped into the basket and took a seat on the smaller bench along the back. They were joined by a family of five and another young couple, all of whom smiled and said hi as they climbed inside.

The ride to the first 'deck' was outstanding. They could see an amazing distance across the lake and as they climbed higher into the sky, the village began to look like one of those toy towns seen at Christmas time. Greg sucked in a breath as he pressed closer to the window, eyes wide. It was turning out even better then he had imagined when he had made the plans. He glanced at Nick from the corner of his eye and caught Nick staring at him.

"What?" He asked, feeling amused by, and a little bit curious about, the look on Nick's face.

Nick shook his head and smiled, "You're like a little kid sometimes."

Greg pouted and made an aborted move to cross his arms and stick out his tongue, but there was a little girl staring at him from the other side of the gondola and he felt he should refrain from any bad habits, "So?"

"Not saying its a bad thing G. It just amazes me is all."

Greg stared at him for a moment before nodding, "What'cha think?"

"It's cool. Never been on one of these before." Nick said and let out a surprised grunt as the gondola jerked and began its short decent onto its landing pad on the first deck. They climbed out of the basket when the offer to leave was made, deciding not to continue up to the peak of the mountain as stomachs started growling again.

Nick took hold of Greg's hand once more and pulled him towards the snack bars nestled along the hill at the back of the deck. Greg, however, dug his heels in and managed to pull Nick to a stop, "We are not eating up here."

"C'mon Greg. I'm starving." Nick pointed to the first building, "Their menu says they have cheese fries. You really want to deprive me of them?"

"No, but I already have a place in mind to eat. You can make it another twenty minutes." He sighed as thoughts of his plans for later invaded his mind and he started towards the first counter, "I'll concede halfway, though, and let you get a _small_ fry and soda to hold you over until dinner, okay?"

"Sounds good to me."

Greg stood off to the side and watched in amusement as the lady at the counter flirted with Nick. She offered to upgrade his fries as well as the two drinks he ordered for free, even though Greg figured it would be coming out of her paycheck. Nick declined the first but couldn't bring himself to turn down the two larger sodas. He took the tray he was handed and smiled politely as the worker slipped a sheet of paper under the paper basket holding the fries and shook his head at whatever it was that she said.

Greg took the offered soda and then laughed as Nick tossed the tray on top of the others on the garbage can and the sheet of paper into the trash.

"I take it that was her phone number?" Greg asked as he and Nick started towards one of the observation decks.

"Uh huh." Nick said, dipping a fry into the cheese, "Want one?"

"No thank you. If I wanted fries I would have gotten my own." He sucked some soda up through the straw and leaned on the railing to peek over the edge, "Wow, that's a long way down." He straightened up and backed away to sit on one of the provided benches.

Nick leaned against the railing and watched him, a smile starting to form on his face, "You're not afraid of heights, G, are you?"

"No." Greg took another drink of his soda, "Well, only if I'm out in the open like now. If I'm enclosed I'm fine."

Nick patted the railing with his hand, "This doesn't count as enclosed to you?"

"No, no it doesn't." Greg said and both men turned when a whistling blared behind them. The gondola was on it's descent from the peak, "C'mon. We'll be up here forever if we don't catch this one down to the bottom."

The ride down was spent in much the same way as the ride up had been. Nick watching Greg, who's face was plastered to the window to take in the amazing view. When they landed and disembarked, Nick turned to Greg with raised eyebrows, his face asking 'well?'

Greg rolled his eyes and nodded his head to the right, "This way."

When the Nestle Toll House cafe came within their sights, Nick didn't even bother holding back his laughter, "Couldn't resist, could you?"

"This coming from the guy who bought a whole box of candy bars from the neighbor kid last month for a fund raiser."

Nick shouldered past Greg as they came up to the cafe's outside eating area that had a gated edge, "If I recall correctly, Greg, I had one candy bar, brought the box to work, and had to peal you off the ceiling later that morning after you inhaled over half of them."

"Semantics."

-----

After eating, they shopped for souvenirs for their friends as well as Elijah. They purchased mainly small, area inspired knick-knacks such as shot glasses and post-cards. Elijah, however, was getting a hand-made block town that they noticed in the window of a specialty toy store across the street from the cafe. Neither man balked at the fifty dollar price tag, their awe over the intricate details as well as the abundance of accessories included had them agreeing that it was well worth it.

Greg pushed open the door to the cabin an hour later, just as dusk was falling. He dropped the bag he was carrying onto the couch and laughed as Nick stumbled in after him, the awkwardly shaped and heavy box he was holding keeping him unbalanced.

Nick set the box down as carefully as he could before dropping down onto the couch himself, "Why couldn't we have just put it in the truck when we passed it?"

"It was expensive, that's why." Greg walked off to use the bathroom. When he came back out, he was surprised to see Nick still sprawled out on the couch, legs falling open and his head resting on the back of the couch, "Why are you still sitting?"

Nick's eyes opened and he looked at Greg, "Why shouldn't I be?"

Greg pointed at the door, "Because we're leaving again. Come on."

"All right." Nick sighed and pushed himself up.

Greg grabbed his hand and pulled him in for a kiss, "You don't have to use the bathroom or anything, do you?"

"Not really, no, but I'll go. If you're asking, we're not going to be around a toilet anytime in the near future."

Greg was practically jiggling when Nick re-joined him, "All right, lets go." He claimed Nick's hand again and pulled him out and towards the exit of the resort.

"When we get back, we should take advantage of that hammock. It looks really comfy." Nick said, looking over his shoulder.

"When we get back..." Greg trailed off as he stopped and turned to face his lover, "Nick, the hammock will hopefully be the last thing on your mind."

Nick tugged him closer and dipped his head to nip at Greg's ear, "Oh really?" he asked, letting his drawl deepen, "If that's the case why don't we just skip whatever it is we're doing and start some of that right now?"

"'Cause." Greg pulled away and started walking again, "I really want to do this, so let's go." As they walked towards the parking lot, a woman stuck her head out of the main office window and gave them a thumbs up, a move that Greg returned along with a really large smile.

"Greg?" Nick asked, his voice suspicious, "What's going on?"

Greg didn't say anything, instead choosing to pull on his arm to speed up their walking. After a block of walking at the brisk pace, the smell of lake water invaded Nick's senses, "We're going to the beach?"

"Kinda. Come on."

Greg directed them down a short wooden boardwalk nestled between two small shops which led out to a small wetland meadow that laid just beyond. Behind one of the buildings, there was a picnic table with a basket sitting on top of it. Greg let out a triumphant whoop when he saw it and lifted the lid to look inside before he nodded and picked it up.

"All right." Greg faced Nick and blushed when he saw the narrowed eyes, "What?"

"What do you have planned?"

"You trust me, right?" Greg asked, tapping the basket against his leg. He was a bit worried that he was going overboard on this whole plan and it was making him fidgety.

"You know I do." Nick said, closing the distance between them. He kissed Greg's forehead and slipped an arm around his waist, "So where are we going?"

Greg waved the hand holding the basket further down the boardwalk, "That way. This is all private property so we're not going to run into anybody. At least, not for the next few hours."

In the dim glow cast by the few lamps placed along the wooden railings, Nick could just make out another, much smaller building at the top of the hill. Anything beyond that point must have been down hill since all that was visible was the dark silhouette of the hill where it met the sky.

Greg urged him into moving and they took their time as they walked along the path, both of their eyes set on the sun that was beginning to sink below the lakes horizon, which lay down and to the right of them, "Wow." Nick murmured and straightened his back as much as he could, his mouth resting at Greg's temple as he turned his head fully to take in the view below, "That's an awesome sight."

"Mm." Greg turned away from the lake and saw they were just about flush with the other building. He stopped and cocked his head to the side when he saw the sign posted on the door, "That's convenient."

Nick looked as well and had to agree. The little building was co-ed bathroom with an offset drinking fountain, "Yeah. I suppose it would get annoying to climb all those stairs and go down the hill to those shops just to come all the way back."

The stairs were just beyond the little bathroom and Nick had counted thirty steps by the time they reached the ground. At the bottom, there was another short boardwalk that let off onto a small beach, hidden by the hills. The opening to the lake wasn't visible from their standpoint, but they could see a bit of a wooden fence peeking out around the edge of one of the cliffs.

"Are you sure we're allowed back here?" Nick asked, even as he dropped down onto the sand to pull off his boots.

Greg nodded and pulled a blanket out of the basket, spreading it out next to Nick in the glow of the one lamp that lit the cove, "We're fine. This is owned by the resort." He watched as Nick started to dig through the basket, "I was planning on you eating more at dinner, which is why the selection is so small."

Nick pulled out two bottles of lemonade, a deli bowl of fresh cut fruits and a jar of chocolate syrup to go with the strawberries that overpowered the selection of fruits, "No, G, this is great." He opened the lid on the fruit dish and popped a slice of musk melon into his mouth. He then opened the jar of chocolate and dipped one of the strawberries in it before feeding it to Greg.

Greg ate the fruit and then caught Nick's wrist as he went to pull it back. He licked and sucked the remaining chocolate off the digits and smiled, "Let's go swimming."

"What? Now?" Nick looked at Greg, who had turned on his doe eyes, before sighing, "All right. Let's go swimming."

"Yes!" Greg jumped to his feet and began shedding his clothes, not bothering with where they landed. When he was down to his boxers, he turned to face Nick who only had his shirt off, "You are so slow."

Nick shrugged and stepped out of his jeans, taking the time to fold them and set them on top of the basket, "I don't want sand in my clothes."

They raced each other down to the waters edge and Greg dived right in, ignoring the waters temperature in favor of getting in and wet as quickly as possible, a habit leftover from his surfing days. Nick waded in, but paused when the water reached his thighs. He shivered and crossed his arms over his chest, suddenly wishing he had dived in like Greg had.

Greg popped up out of the water and eyed Nick, "You coming in?"

"It's a bit cold."

"I can fix that." Greg said, a smirk making its way onto his face. He cupped his hands in the water and flexed his arms a couple of times, his intent clear.

"No. Greg, come on." Nick raised his hands and backed away from Greg, not noticing that he was moving further from the beach and more into the water until he hit a small underwater shelf and slid under the surface.

"Nick!" Greg made his way as quickly as he could through water and sighed in relief as Nick's head popped up just as he reached him, "God, Nick, are you okay?"

"F-fine." Nick chattered as he ran his hands through his hair to get his dripping fringe off his forehead, "B-bit cold but f-fine."

Greg reached out and grabbed Nicks hands, pulling him closer to the shore and consequently, to him as well. He wrapped his arms around the broad back and leaned in, stealing a kiss, "I'm sorry. I knew there was a ledge, but I didn't mean for you to hit it."

Nick's own hands clasped at the waist band of Greg's boxers, pulling him even closer, the waters buoyancy making it easy to for him to maneuver the lab rat to his liking, "I know, Greg. Chill."

Nick caught Greg's mouth as it opened to say something and his tongue slid into the warm cavern, Greg's natural heat warming him from head to toe. He let the kiss escalate until he felt Greg squirming against him. He felt a bit of regret as he pulled away from the warmth but shook it off, "Something I can do for you, G?"

"You can shut up and kiss me Stokes." Greg demanded, hopping a bit. He then let the water buoy him so he could wrap his legs around Nick's waist.

Nick gave a smirk of his own as he leaned in to lick up a droplet of water that was slowly making its way down Greg's neck, "As you wish." He whispered and he nipped the jaw bone where his lips were resting before blazing a trail of suckling kisses back to Greg's mouth. As he mapped out the mouth that was fast becoming a second home for his own tongue, he slid his hands around Greg's hips and dug his fingers into the ass once they reached it.

From that moment on, they fell into a haze of passion. Wandering hands and gyrating hips had Nick stumbling for shore and the provisions he had seen peaking out of Greg's jeans pocket. He dropped to his knees with Greg still wrapped around him like a vine, his own arms wrapped around the slim torso to keep a semblance of balance.

When he was reasonably sure he wasn't just going to just fall over, he released an arm and leaned forward carefully to drop them both down so they were horizontal. Greg kept himself locked around Nick but laid his head down to rest on the blanket and stared up at Nick.

Nick stared back as he rested on his elbows, "Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked.

Greg managed to laugh between the heavy pants of his breathing, "We've already done _it_ Nick. A few times in fact, if I'm recalling correctly."

Nick knocked his forehead into Greg's and gave his own small laugh, "I meant in public doofus."

"Not if you keep calling me names." Greg said. He dropped his arms and let his lower lip slip out into a pout.

Nick leaned in and nipped at the protruding lip, "Sorry. Let me make it up to you."

Greg groaned as a hand started to gravitate southward along his side, "Oh yeah, please do."

TBC...

Happy now? Lol. Better be. Loved it? Hate it? Just remember...no complaints on the sex. I'm not changing what I've already got later on and if you complain I pull. Remember that. Otherwise, I hope you enjoyed.


	14. Chapter 13 September 2002

Long chapter again. Woo! No warnings 'cept for a bit of swearing. Also not beta'd so any mistakes are ones I didn't catch during my many, many read throughs. I apologize in advance for them.

Thank you all for the reviews and I'll keep saying that about the review replies until I get around to doing it. I would love to reply to ya'll but my computer bites sometimes.

Hope you all enjoy!

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September

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Greg slipped his backpack over his shoulder and grabbed his car keys off the the hook by the mudroom door. He leaned against the stairs railing and cocked his head, "You sure you're okay with this?"

Nick rolled his eyes and pushed Greg back out into the small hallway, urging him towards the door leading to the garage, "You've known for awhile that I had the night off 'cause of my overtime. Why are you getting so uptight over it now?"

"Because I wasn't expecting to get called in early." He hit the button to open the garage door and accepted a kiss from Nick, "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Be good. Don't terrorize Sara or Catherine too much tonight. I don't need another phone call from a pissy assed Sara telling me I need to keep my boyfriend on a leash." Nick said with a laugh.

"Moi?" Greg pressed a hand to his chest as he backed away to his car, "I have no idea what you're talking about." He climbed into the car and started it, and with a wave to Nick, he backed out and took off.

Nick hit the button to close the garage and went back into the house, wondering where Elijah had taken off to after saying goodbye to Greg. A cursory check of the downstairs showed no sign of the active toddler and so he went up, his first stop the play room. After that proved empty, he was almost tempted to give in and use the intercom, a machine he wasn't too fond of using despite its usefulness. He decided to check his den before falling to that temptation and sure enough, that was where he found the little red-head.

Elijah had pushed his chair against one of the windows in the nook and was resting on his knees, his elbows propped on the sill as he stared outside.

"What up, little man?"

Elijah glanced at him but mainly kept his gaze outside, "whewe daddy?"

Nick bit his lip to keep from chuckling. The few times Elijah had been left in his care in the sixth months of being with Greg, Elijah always voiced that same question just after Greg left, even if Greg had told him exactly where he'd be. Seemed this time would be no exception, "Daddy's at work, Eli." Nick walked over to the nook and lifted Elijah up so he could sit down. He set Elijah on his lap and looked out the window as well, "He had to go in early tonight, remember?"

Elijah looked up at Nick, "you?"

"Me what?" Nick asked, confused.

"you wo'k?"

Nick shook his head and hugged Elijah, "Nope, not tonight. I've got the night off."

"oh." Elijah thought about this and then nodded, "k. hungwy."

"What are you hungry for?" Nick asked and stood up, still cradling Elijah in his arms.

"hot dog."

Nick snorted as he made his way downstairs. That was not a surprising choice on Elijah's end. He had had his first hot dog while they had been visiting his parents and had fallen in love with them. There had been hot dogs at his birthday party and at the barbecue a few months back, but the toddler had claimed to dislike them until he had seen Trixie eating them with much gusto.

Now, when he and Greg went shopping, they now always made sure to get at least two packages of hot dogs, whether or not they still had some at home. Of course, they inevitably went through them faster with both him and Greg snacking on them as well when they weren't in the mood to wait for food to cook.

Nick set Elijah on the island and glanced out the window, "How about we have hot dogs, chips and cottage cheese. We can eat outside."

Elijah nodded his head, "k." He certainly wasn't going to complain. Outside was outside and always a good thing to him.

Since the hot dogs didn't take very long to cook, they were on their way out to the patio within ten minutes. Nick held both plates in his hands while Elijah carried his sippy cup and a bottle of water for Nick. As Elijah settled himself on the couch, Nick took the time to check the sky.

It was getting dark and the wind was starting to pick up. He had heard the weather report earlier in the morning, but hadn't thought much about it at the time. They had only been predicting a thirty percent chance of rain at the time. Now, though, it looked like the predicted rain had quite possibly transformed into a storm. If there still hadn't been sun peaking out, he would have ushered Elijah right back inside at that moment.

He sat down, placed Elijah's plate on his lap and set about eating himself, digging his chips through the cottage cheese instead of using his fork. He swallowed his mouthful and took a drink of water before asking, "What did you do at daycare today?"

"lincon logs wif jewmy." Elijah said, chomping down on a chip at the same time.

"That's it? Just Lincoln Logs?"

"movie, nap, awt 'n cwafts." Elijah added with a shrug. He gulped down some of his apple juice and after smacking his lips a few time, he turned his brown eyes to Nick, "talk twixie?"

"Don't see why not. I'll have to call Sammy first, make sure they're home though."

Elijah popped a hot dog chunk into his mouth and nodded happily as he chewed. Nick reached over and wiped away some ketchup from around Elijah's mouth before going back to his own food.

With the anticipation of talking to his friend, Elijah had managed to inhale his food and was done eating rather quickly. Nick finished just after and they went back inside to clean up the mess from making dinner and to deposit their paper plates into the trash.

Nick closed the dishwasher door and as he turned it on, Elijah tugged at his pants leg. He looked down and laughed. Elijah was holding his cell phone up to him and bouncing in place, an eager expression on his freckled face. Nick took the phone and ran the fingers of his free hand through auburn curls, "Think you need a hair cut."

"nuh uh." Elijah said, sticking out his tongue, "want daddy's haiw."

Nick urged Elijah to start walking towards the family room as he flipped his phone open, "Little man, your hair is way too wavy to spike up like daddy's. It would look silly." He thumbed through his contacts list and pressed call on Sammy's name.

//What do you want?//

Nick let out a bark of laughter that was followed quickly by a resigned sigh, "One of these days I'm going to call off of Greg's phone. He gets a better greeting then I do."

He heard Sammy snort//Is there a reason you're actually calling or couldn't you go a week without hearing my sweet voice?//

"Bite me. I was calling to see if you were home. Eli is chomping at the bit to talk to Trixie." Nick said.

//Been home for a while, actually. Let me get the computer up.// Nick heard a whirring noise in the background as well as a chair squeaking//I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you called. Trixie has been after me all day to talk to Eli as well. I swear those two have some sort of mental link.//

"Well, it has been over a week since they last talked. To them, that's a lifetime almost." Nick rested the phone on his shoulder and hoisted Elijah up onto the leather chair in the office, before turning and hitting the power button on the computer. He grunted and reached behind him to still the legs that had just kicked him in the ass. He cast a minor glare over his shoulder at a giggling Elijah, before popping up the chat forum they used for the kids. He waved as his sisters face came into view, "My you're looking lovely today." He said with a snicker, referring to her sweats and loose, wispy ponytail.

//Shut up! God, you're horrible.//

Nick winced as he suddenly had Sammy's voice echoing around him, both from the cell phone and the speakers attached to the computer. He moved away from the desk and slid Elijah up to it. He covered the mouth piece of the phone, "I'm going to go get your sippy cup. Paper and crayons are in the drawer."

Elijah dug them out while Sammy went to get Trixie. They had realized early on in the cross-country conversations that while they never ran out of things to talk about, the two toddlers got bored and fidgety after only a short time. The drawing helped with keeping them from pressing buttons on the machines and after oohing and awing over each others pictures, they were often scanned to one another before they signed off for the night.

//So, I've got some news.//

Nick pulled the phone away and looked at it before sighing and putting it back to his ear, "Like what? You're not pregnant again, are you? 'Cause that's exactly how you started out when you told me about Dakota...and Trixie for that matter."

//Of course not. Do you think I want two babies in diapers? One's enough of a hassle.// Even as she spoke, he could hear his year old nephew begin to whimper, sounding quite close to the phone, probably due to Sammy carrying him//Oh for the love of...Nick, do not mention babies around him. He's sensitive.//

Nick carried the sippy cup back to the office and placed in on the desk next to the keyboard, pausing briefly to wave at Trixie when she looked up from her drawing. After receiving her happy squeal and wave in answer, he nudged Elijah and pointed to the library. Elijah barely spared him a glance when he caught sight of Trixie holding up a sheet of paper to the camera.

Nick rolled his eyes at Elijah's actions and walked off to the library, "Sammy, you're the one who called him a hassle."

//Keep this up and I'll call Greg and tell him the news instead.//

"C'mon. I'm your _baby_ brother. Why do you do this to me?"

Sammy laughed//For pretty much the reason you just gave. Not to mention you're fun to wind up.//

Nick dropped down on to a chair, far enough away from the office that he couldn't hear Elijah and Trixie's talking, but close enough to keep an eye on him, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. What's your news?"

//Kieran got the promotion. We'll be out there in a month.//

Nick, who was in the process of bringing his feet up to rest on a footstool, let them drop back to the floor as he sat up straight, "A _month_?"

//Problem, lil' bro'?//

"Er, no. No problem." He looked out the window and straight across the yard to where the lumber piles sat, blocking the finally dry foundation of the guest house. As he looked out, he noticed that the sky had finally turned to a full black and that it was now drizzling. The wood piles were thankfully covered with tarps, the workers taking the rain prediction seriously.

//You sure? Sounding a little uncertain there, Nick.//

Nick sighed and dropped back in the chair, "I'm sure. So is there a specific date associated with this month?"

//No, not yet. Kieran's boss said that he'd have the specifics by the end of next week. All they really know for sure is that they want him out there by mid-October in time for the November opening.//

"They want him out here before they even open?"

//Who do you think is going to be setting up the computers? The construction workers? Oh...shit, Nick I gotta go. Dakota needs a change.//

Nick laughed, "You'd think by know you could do that and talk on the phone at the same time."

//Me? Miss klutz? Yeah right. I'd probably drop the phone on my son's head. I'll talk to you later when we shut down the kids.//

"Yeah, all right. Later sis."

//Bye lil' bro'.//

Nick snapped his phone shut and leaned back in the chair. A month until they were out here and the guest house was only half done. Maybe they should have just left the furniture in his den.

-----

Greg dropped onto his chair and released a frustrated breath of air. Grissom had actually called him in early to do the weekend shifts grunt work. His boss claimed it was because they were behind, but he thought it was because Cindy was holding a grudge over the two night vacation he had taken the month before for Nick's birthday.

When he got in, she had instantly put him to work going through her backlog of paper work. Sadly, due to her filing in a completely different way than him, he had had to redo it about three times. It had taken him over an hour, but luckily, he was finally done and Cindy was out to dinner. It figured.

He swiveled his seat as he waited for her to return, hoping she didn't exceed the half an hour limit 'forced' on the lab techs. He, Archie, and Bobby were notorious when it came to over extending their breaks, especially when they went down to the diner at the end of the block. The food was fantastic there, but the wait to get it was long. He really hoped other shifts weren't like them.

Bored with the swiveling, he got up to go and make a pot of coffee. As he walked out of the DNA lab, he had to stop short as Catherine came up in front of him, "You're here early," he paused and looked her over, "and very wet."

"News flash, Greg. It's raining." As Catherine spoke, a crack of thunder erupted over them followed by a flickering of lights not even half a minute later. Catherine shook her head, "As for me being early, I got called in. Same as you it seems."

There was another crash of thunder and the lights flickered again, and the length of it happening this time was enough to concern Greg. Elijah was terrified of thunderstorms and as they hadn't gone through one in the time they'd been together, Nick had no idea. He excused himself from Catherine and went back into the lab, aiming for the phone.

Cindy walked in just as he was picking up the receiver and she punched down on the button and glared at him, "What are you doing?"

Greg scowled, "Come on Cindy, I have to call home."

"Greg, there is a ton of work that needs to be done. Justin and Keats just got back with a crap load of evidence. There isn't time for you to be making any personal calls." Cindy motioned to the two weekend CSI's that were walking towards the lab.

"It'll just take a minute. I swear."

Cindy eyed him, taking in the worried pinch around his eyes and the white knuckled grip he had on the receiver, "All right, but don't take too long." She let go of the button and walked over to meet Justin McKeats, better known as Keats, and Justin Laney at the door.

Greg sighed and punched in the number of the house, a frown making its way onto his face as he received a busy signal. He hit the button and dialed Nick's cell//We're sorry, all circuits are busy now. Please try your call again...// Greg hung up and tried the land line again. He looked up at the ceiling just as he hit the last digit and let out a long string of expletives as thunder crashed again, this time louder than before.

Just as he placed the receiver to his ear, the lights flickered for a few brief seconds before giving out completely, plunging them into darkness, "Damn it!"

-----

Nick stood at the window and watched the storm as it approached. While it was raining heavily at the moment, the thunder was still fairly quiet and the lightning was still a good distance away. It wouldn't be long, however, until it reached them. He took a sip of the coffee he had made during a chapter break in his book and peaked in on Elijah.

They normally didn't let the kids talk for more than an hour and it was closing in on that time. From his position, he couldn't see the three-year-old, but he could hear him talking about Harry Potter. Nick was feeling pretty amazed at the mostly correct details that were flowing out about the wizard and his first adventure. He could also hear Trixie squealing in excitement over what she was being told and his pride was lit with amusement at the thought of how his sister must be feeling about the high pitched decibels her daughter was emitting.

He rubbed his eyes carefully, so as not to jostle his glasses too much, and was about to return to his book when there was an extremely loud crack of thunder, followed by a snapping sound as the lights went out. At the same time as the thunder, wailing had begun in the next room. Nick almost dropped his coffee as he ran into the office and straight towards Elijah.

Nick pulled the crying boy into his arms as he set his mug down and began crooning into his ear, running a hand up and down the small back. He nuzzled his nose into the sweet smelling locks by Elijah's ear and smiled when Elijah seemed to settle down a little. His relief was short lived, however, as another crack of thunder had Elijah screaming and trying to climb further into Nick's arms.

Nick sighed and went to the family room, his intention to start a fire. He wasn't fully sure if they had candles anywhere in the house and the lack of light and flashes of lightning were starting to unnerve him a bit. He tried to set Elijah down when he reached the fireplace, but the toddler clung to him like velcro, making the move nearly impossible.

Knowing it would be easier to start the fire without Elijah in his arms but unwilling to put him down in case the crying turned to screaming, Nick went about it one handed. With the way he was being clung to, he probably could have used both hands, but his left was still running a hopefully soothing hand up and down Elijah's back.

Once the fire was up and going, he suddenly realized that the family room was probably not the smartest to go to with a child who was afraid of thunder and lightning. The two-story room, with its floor to ceiling split windows, was extremely open and the fire, despite the size of the fireplace, didn't do much in way of light. It brightened the room just enough so he wouldn't have to worry about tripping over anything and that was about it.

His first course of action was closing the drapes over the windows. Thankfully, they ran top to bottom of both the upper and lower windows, so he was able to close out the outside entirely. After that, he dug through the built in entertainment center, just barely holding back a yell of triumph when he found two unopened packages of votive candles.

He lit two and set them on the small tables in the far corners of the room, knowing they weren't going to last long but feeling the need for light in those particular areas. After the last two crashes of thunder, Elijah had come to realize that he couldn't get any closer to Nick than he already was and instead took to clenching his hands and yelling at each boom though his tears.

Nick looked around the family room and thought of ways to calm Elijah down. He had never really been scared of thunderstorms, but he remembered his sisters Aly and Maddy being just as terrified of them as Elijah was. His mom used to sing to get them through it and his father would play with them, doing something physical as well as challenging to try and keep their minds off of the noises exploding over their heads.

His eyes fell on the throw blanket that was draped across the chair and an idea came to him, "Hey, little man." he nuzzled Elijah again to get his attention. When the shaking calmed slightly, he knew he had Elijah's attention, "How about we build a fort? We can have our own little camp out. Maybe go and get Stitch, find daddy's hidden supply of marshmallows and chocolate..."

Elijah sniffed and tilted his head back just enough for Nick to see the runny nose and watery eyes, both of which were leaving trails along Elijah's face, "how we do dat?" He asked, his voice quiet and shaky. Another clap of thunder had the face being re-buried in Nick's neck and whimpering.

Nick began to run his hand along Elijah's back again, "Well, first thing, we need flashlights. Wish I knew where daddy kept them though."

"gwage."

Nick looked through the dark kitchen towards where the door leading to the mudroom was. He sighed and started over, "Figures."

He stopped long enough to grab one of the candles, suddenly glad Greg had bought the more expensive kinds of votive candles. These were surrounded with a glass base instead of the metal ones found on cheaper brands, so he didn't have to worry about burning metal and bare skin coming in contact with each other.

When he reached the door, he set the candle on the island just long enough to open it. Grabbing it back up, he started through the mudroom. When he was at the garage door, he looked around for a place to set the candle. Spotting the small worktable next to the door leading out front, he set it down and practically swore as a wall cut off most of the light from the candle. He quickly opened the garage door and grabbed it back up again.

Searching for flashlights in a messy garage with a three-year-old clinging to him and a candle in one hand was certainly a new experience for him. Greg had, at one time, laughed about all of the barely used sports equipment that littered the garage, saying that it had been his plan to join as many sports as possible when he moved out here. That had been before he had applied at the lab and found out he would be working third shift.

Nick found one small flashlight wedged between a basketball and a hockey skate. He flicked it on and was relieved that it actually worked. Batteries did not stay in one place in this house, despite Rayne's continuous attempts at doing so.

He swung the light around, looking for at least one more flashlight. He found a rather large LED flashlight hanging next to the garage door and when he flipped the switch to test it, he had to turn his head away. The light emitting from it was incredibly bright.

He blew out the candle, which was now no more than a small dish of melted wax, and used the LED flashlight to go back into the house. He paused at the door and after giving it a brief thought, grabbed Greg's battery powered radio that was up on one of the shelves lining the garage wall.

"All right. Let's drop these off and then head upstairs to get some stuff." Nick said, going back into the family room. Elijah gave a jerky nod of agreement and Nick winced as a slightly slimy nose ran along his neck from the movement.

While Elijah was no longer screaming at each crash that came from above, he hadn't quite stopped crying either. Nick pressed a kiss to the auburn curls and started upstairs, the LED beam held out in front him. Their first stop was his and Greg's room, where he managed to get Elijah to let go long enough for Nick to change into his sleep wear.

Once Elijah was snuggled back into his arms, he grabbed the large, plastic clothes basket from their bathroom and put their comforter and his pillows in it. Dragging it behind him and holding the flashlight in the hand that was attached to the arm Elijah was sitting on, he made his way across the bridge like landing to the toddlers room.

He let the basket rest by the door and carried Elijah into the ensuite bathroom to wipe down the streaked face. Elijah took the gentle treatment silently and without protest. He accepted the tissue box Nick passed him before climbing off the sinks counter and into waiting arms. Nick brought him back out into his room and pulled open his pajama drawer.

"Which ones tonight?" Nick asked, voice barely above a whisper.

Elijah turned his head just enough to look in the drawer, "jungal." He said, pointing the green foliage pajamas that were resting at the top of the pile.

"All right." Nick quickly changed Elijah, pausing half way through when the three-year-old indicated he had to use the bathroom. Once he was fully dressed, Nick silently handed him Stitch, the purple and white stuffed clown his grandmother had made for him when he was a baby. The name was a more recent development, however, and had come about after watching _Lilo and Stitch_ for the first time while staying with Catherine.

Nick tossed Elijah's pillow into the basket, as well as the small Harry Potter pillow that Nick had gifted him with a few weeks prior. He then had Elijah put two of his thinner blankets in and Nick followed it up with his comforter and the second Harry Potter book, liberated from its resting spot on Elijah's dresser. Lifting Elijah back into his arms, he went back down to the family room.

Looking at their collection, he decided a few more blankets couldn't hurt and they went back upstairs, pausing halfway up as a large bang echoed around the house, "Wow, that was a loud one." Nick said, eyes automatically rising to the glass dome covering the staircase just in time to see the flash of lightning streak across the sky.

As he finished climbing the stairs and made his way to Rayne's room, he couldn't help but shake his head in wonderment. In the four years he had lived in Vegas, this was the third strongest and second longest thunderstorm that had swept through the city. They inevitably got bad weather, all places did, but being in the middle of the Mojave desert made the storms very infrequent.

He was only classing this as the third strongest because in the year he had moved here, there had been a horrible storm that actually produced a tornado. The tornado itself had been weak and extremely brief, but the storm that caused it lasted two days and had at one time during its peak produced golf ball sized hail.

Shaking off the thoughts of tornadoes, he stepped into Rayne's room and waved the flashlight around. He had only been in here once, when he and Greg had run out of toilet paper, and at the time hadn't stopped to look around.

He knew that while it was technically Rayne's room, papa Olaf and nana Krista spent their visits living out of this room, and so the décor was simple and anonymous, save a few framed photographs of Rayne's daughter Lauren, her son-in-law Chris and their baby girl Summer.

He pulled a throw blanket and the comforter off of the bed and draped them over the sniffling toddler, hoping to emit a giggle. It didn't work. All Elijah did was bat the cloth down from around his eyes and peer up at Nick, confused.

"Okay, I know nana keeps another blanket in the closet. Greg's mentioned it once or...twice. Hello, what do we have here?" Nick pulled the closet door open further and a large grin lit his face as the light from the flashlight landed on a box marked 'candles.' He kneeled down and pulled the flaps of the box open.

Inside were candles of all different sizes, most with their own holders. He tugged the box out of the closet and after grabbing nana's 'favorite throw,' he shut the door. Dropping the blankets on top of the box, he hoisted it up into his arms, mindful of Elijah.

Once back in the family room, Nick turned on the radio and found a station talking about the storm. Apparently, it wasn't just one storm, but a series of smaller storms that were expected to hit throughout the next few hours. Power outages were happening sporadically throughout the city, though thankfully the strip was still up and running. The broadcasters warned those living along the edge of the city that if they were without power, it could be a while longer before it was regained. City workers were concentrating on keeping the busier parts of the city going.

Nick sighed and turned the radio down, "Okay, lets get that fort started." He was happy that the storm had lulled for the moment and while the rain was still falling hard, the thunder and lightning were spaced apart and the thunder quieter.

Elijah rubbed a tissue under his nose and nodded, "what we do?"

"Well, I need to re-arrange the furniture first." Nick said and went about doing just that. He pushed the end tables and potted plants so that they were along the wall and he moved the couch so it was in front of the arched doorway leading to the stairs and front door. This left the area overlooking the kitchen nook open, a room that was all windows, but Nick was planning on the back of the fort facing that area.

Once the furniture was to his liking, he hauled in all four stools from the kitchen. Their backs came to mid-chest on him so they would get a fairly tall structure from them. He had Elijah help maneuver them into place so the backs of the chairs were along where the 'walls' of the fort would be. Next, he tossed the larger of the blankets over the stools, surprised and happy that his and Greg's comforter as well as Rayne's was enough to cover the area blocked off with the chairs.

While he had been doing that, Elijah had been laying out the rest of the blankets and throws, making a cozy little nest. The toddler carefully placed Nicks two pillows up against the couch and his own right next to them. He rested Stitch against his and turned imploring eyes to Nick, who was straightening the comforters.

"what now?"

"Well," Nick stepped back a bit and placed his hands on his hips, "The fort looks pretty good. How about we go raid the kitchen for snacks and then settle in. We were going to start 'Chamber of Secrets' tonight. Maybe we could play a game or two as well."

"chewwy-o?" Elijah asked as he stood up and walked over to Nick. He popped his thumb into his mouth and leaned against a strong leg as he looked up at him.

"Sure. With the power off, though, we can't have the fridge open very long, so we're going to have to pull your juice out." Nick said, hauling Elijah up into his arms, "Though, I think we can skip the s'mores. Might be a bit too messy for tonight. 'Specially if we're using nana's blanket."

"k."

Nick glanced down at Elijah's face and saw that he didn't look very disappointed by that bit of news. He wondered briefly if Elijah had even experienced s'mores before, but shook it off. With Greg as his father, he'd have at least sampled one.

Nick sat him on the island, "Wanna hold the flashlight, little man?"

Elijah nodded and took the large light with both hands, aiming it at the refrigerator. Nick pulled open the door and grabbed out two bottles of water as well as the jug of apple juice before shutting it quickly. He set them next to Elijah and poured out two sippy cups, remembering to dilute the juice with water before attaching their lids.

He hunted out Elijah's graham crackers and some animal crackers, before grabbing his own bag of Frito's out of the snack cupboard. With the items gathered, he set Elijah on the floor and urged him to walk ahead of him.

Elijah set the flashlight down on the blankets and grabbed the game box off the shelves next to the fireplace. As Nick arranged their snacks, Elijah set up the game, meticulously placing the cherries in their little holders in the tree. Nick sat across from him and nodded for Elijah to go first.

The young boy did so and squealed happily when he got a four. He grabbed his first cherry and dropped it into his bucket while saying, "uno."

Nick felt a flame of pride well up in his breast bone at Elijah counting in Spanish. The toddler had heard him on the phone talking to a Spanish speaking friend and had demanded to be taught. He seemed to be picking up on it fairly easy.

"dos." Elijah said, dropping another cherry into the bucket, "Twe..."

"Tres." Nick said, correcting him, not realizing that the word for three that Elijah had used was actually right, just in another language. It never occurred to him that Elijah would know some Norwegian as well.

Elijah looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed, "twes?"

"Tres is three in Spanish, little man."

"oh...k." He picked up the last cherry and dropped it into his bucket, "fiwe."

Nick just stared at him, confused. Fire? When Elijah finally looked up at him, to see why he wasn't taking his turn, he spoke, "Don't you mean Cuatro?"

"nu uh. you go." Elijah said, pushing the small board to him

As they were finishing their second game of 'Hi Ho Cherry-o,' the storm began to pick up again as did Elijah's crying. The young boy migrated to Nick's lap at the first loud clap of thunder and lost all interest in the game. Nick silently packed up the game and leaned back against the couch, cuddling Elijah in the crook of his arms.

"Shh, it's okay, little man." He whispered, his mouth resting on the crown of Elijah's head, "You need to calm down. Your nose is going to get really stuffed up and you know how cranky you get when that happens."

Elijah tried to sniff and cuddled closer with a whimper as another crash sounded. Nick reached over and turned the volume back up on the radio, glad the channel he had chosen earlier was an easy listening station.

"How about we start that book now?" Nick asked, reaching behind him to grab it off of the cushion.

"k." Elijah whispered, voice back to being quiet and shaky.

Nick adjusted his glasses and cracked the cover of the hard bound book, turning to the first page. Over the rumbling thunder, the soft music, and Elijah's quiet crying, Nick began to read. He lowered his head so his mouth rested next to Elijah's forehead and kept his voice quiet, as if he were sharing a secret.

-----

Greg pulled up to the garage and cut the ignition. Thanks to the continuous power outages and his incessant worrying, Grissom had let him leave only a few hours into his actual shift time. Because there had been more then one storm, they had lost power a couple of times making it nearly impossible to get any work done.

They had managed what they could while the power had been up, with everyone pitching in to help. Thanks to the phone lines being down as well, no new cases had come to the lab while he had been there. Catherine spent her time working on the case she had been called in for with Warrick and Sara helping her. Archie had also been allowed to leave early as his computers would have to be reset once the power was back up for good.

Greg climbed out of the car and went inside, squinting his eyes at the darkness. He ran a hand along the wall to keep from veering off course on his way to the door. As he opened it, he found himself faced with an orange glow and while he had been expecting the screaming and hollering of his son, all that he heard was the popping of the fireplace and the low hum of classical music.

Frowning, he made his way to the family room and stopped short once he reached the arch way.

Nick was sprawled out on his back asleep, three quarters of the way inside a blanket tent, with a book resting open on his chest and his glasses askew on his face. One arm was cradling a sleeping Elijah while the other was bent up over his head as a barrier between his skull and the wooden frame of the couch. As Greg stepped closer, he could see faint tear tracks running along his sons cheeks, telling him that Nick did not have a quiet night. Not even after Elijah had dropped off, if he had been snoring then as bad as he was now.

He lifted the book and slid in a receipt from his pocket as a book mark before setting it down and carefully removing Nick's glasses from his face. He rested them on top of the book and went back into the kitchen. He shucked his jacket and shoes before opening the fridge and pulling out a water. He shut it quickly to conserve the cold and went back in to the family room.

Greg sat down on the couch and took in the fort for the first time. He had seen it when he walked in before, but it really hadn't clicked then, his concern more for seeing Elijah and Nick right away. His eyes wandered over the blankets used as he sipped his water. Finally though, his curiosity got the better of him and reached an arm out to lift the edge of the blanket on the side nearest to him. He smiled when he saw all four of the kitchen stools.

He set his water down on the floor next to Nick's and stretched out along the length of the couch, laying on his stomach. He folded his arms under his head and turned it so he he could watch his family sleep.

Greg had only been laying there for about half an hour when Nick finally stirred. As he watched, the Texan yawned and reached up with his free hand to rub at his eyes, sliding along his cheek as he apparently remembered that he had been wearing his glasses when he dozed off. When his fingers failed to come into contact with his wire frames, brown eyes shot open.

Greg chuckled and Nick craned his neck to look up, squinting a bit when he saw Greg, "Hey." He said, voice hoarse. He paused to clear his throat before continuing, "You're home."

"Yeah, I'm home."

"Mm." Nick rubbed his face again, "What time is it?"

Greg glanced at his watch, "Around three." He propped his head up on his hand, "I like the tent."

"It's a fort. We did that in between storms after we spent the first one looking for light."

"How bad was he?" Greg asked, dropping his right arm so his fingers brushed along Elijah's temple.

"Bit of screaming during the louder crashes, crying through the worst parts, whimpering and attempted sniffling otherwise. It wasn't that bad. Made me feel like I had another limb at times, though." Nick said, looking down at the still sleeping boy with fond eyes.

"I'm sorry. I tried to call but the phone lines went down before the power."

Nick carefully shifted Elijah off of his arm and shook it out as he sat up, "The lab lost power too?"

Greg nodded, "A few times on and off. None of them lasted more then twenty minutes each. It was enough to keep everyone tied to the lab. No phones meant no cases. Archie and I were the only ones who got to leave early though."

Nick stood up and stretched, sighing as his back cracked in three different spots. One of them loud enough for Greg to hear as well, who winced at the pop. Nick turned to face him and Greg rolled over onto his back and looked up, curious as to what Nick was thinking. Nick didn't say anything, instead reaching out to lift Greg's legs long enough to slide under them. He rested a hand on the cushion next to Greg's shoulder and leaned in to give him a kiss.

Greg returned the kiss with a hum, raising his hand to run it along Nick's bicep. He pulled away and sighed, glancing down at his son, "We should put him to bed."

Nick shrugged, "You tired?"

"A bit." Greg said slowly, "Why?"

"Let's just join him. It would be a hassle to grab all the blankets and pillows and the floor isn't that bad. Not with all those blankets down there at least."

Greg nodded and sat up, swinging his legs off of Nicks lap and far enough around so that his feet wouldn't land on Elijah. He slid off the couch and grabbed Nick's extra pillow, fluffing it with a few good punches before laying down on his side and curling around Elijah's small frame. Nick followed him down and laid half on his side, half on his stomach with his head pillowed on his upper arm. He then stretched out that same arm and threaded his fingers through Greg's hair.

Greg smiled at him over the top of Elijah's head before letting his eyes float shut.

-----

TBC...

This was written in mainly because my friend Aimee (felena1971) felt that Nick and Eli needed some alone time put in and I totally agreed.

Also, the little mention of the tornado above? That's a true fact. Clark county had a F0 strength tornado on September 11, 1998. That's right around the time I figured Nick to have arrived in Vegas, so it was worked in. This came about looking up how strong storms got around Vegas. Amazing what you pick up.

Translations: uno, dos, tres (those are a given as is quatro)...tre and fire are three and four in Norwegian.

Anyway, leave a review letting me know what you think. Thanks!


	15. Chapter 14 September 2002

Thanks for the reviews. And thanks for sticking with the story. Also, I boo-booed the last chapter about the lab and the storm. It was pointed out that with the lab being as good as it is as well as being part of the government, it would have back up generators. It never crossed my mind and for that I apologize.

Also, I got a review at another archive asking about the direction this is going. In all truth, the plot is basically Nick and Greg becoming a family and dealing with the problems that show up in the first year. I intend, eventually, to turn this into a 'universe' with background stories (one is definitely needed for the April 2003 chapter) and the possibility of more kids. There are some major things that are going to happen in this chapter, October, December and so on and hints have been given for all but October.

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September

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Nick pushed shut the freezer drawer just as the oven timer dinged. He went over and pulled out the pre-made pie crust he had bought earlier in the week and set it on the island by the bowls to cool. He opened the vanilla ice cream container and scooped some out in to the three bowls he had already sitting on the counter. Next, he poured out apple pie filler onto his and Elijah's ice cream, and cherry onto Greg's. Both fillings had been heated up and allowed to cool just enough so as not to melt the ice cream right away.

He began to crumble the pie crust up and poured that on top of the ice cream confections, followed by whipped cream. He put the ice cream and whipped cream away and placed the bowls in front of their island stools.

Greg walked in a few seconds later and dropped down onto his stool, "Elijah's coming. He had to pick up his puzzle." He looked over at the hallway, "Have you noticed that his stuffed up nose is almost constant now? He's also been tugging on his ear lately, not to mention those ear aches he actually complained about."

Nick nodded and sat down across from Greg, "I noticed."

"Jessie Conway mentioned it as well when I went to pick him up this afternoon from daycare. She said she was getting concerned." Greg paused to take a drink of his soda, left over from dinner, "I think we should make a doctors appointment for him."

Elijah walked into the room then, his fingers tugging on his earlobe. He walked over and leaned against Greg's thigh before popping his thumb into his mouth, an action they were beginning to see more of outside of just when he was waking up. Greg exchanged a worried look with Nick when he noticed that Elijah's mouth did not close around his thumb. He looked down and ran his fingers through Elijah's hair and brushed his fringe up and away from his forehead, "Want some ice cream, sproglet?"

Elijah shrugged and peered up at his dad with his big, brown eyes, "up please?"

It was a quiet request and asked in a tone that Greg couldn't refuse. He leaned over and lifted his son up onto his lap, so Elijah was sitting with both legs between his own. He pulled Elijah's ice cream within reaching distance and started in on his own, practically moaning as he tasted the concoction for the first time. It was almost like eating a cherry pie ala mode.

He went to shovel another spoonful into his mouth when Nick caught his eyes. Nick looked down at Elijah then back up at Greg, indicating his need to look at their son. Greg did so and frowned. Elijah had eaten away all of the whipped cream first, not an uncommon occurrence, but he had stopped after one bite into the smashed pie crust and apple filling. His face was a bit red and his eyes had a glassy sheen to them because of rising tears.

Greg set his bowl down on the island and rested the back of his hand against Elijah's forehead, "You have a fever." He muttered, pulling his hand back. He was surprised he hadn't felt the heat when he had ran his hand through his hair only moments before, but that was neither here nor there.

"hot." Elijah said with a nod, knowing and remembering what a fever felt like from his time with the chicken pox, "huwt too." He continued, pointing to his neck and nose.

"Nick..." Greg said, pushing away from the island and standing up. He set Elijah on the bar stool and had his son open his mouth so he could look inside.

"I'll go get his coat." Nick said, getting up and heading to the hall closet across from the stairs.

Greg acknowledged Nick's words with a nod of his head before he ducked down to see if he could see anything. Elijah's throat looked a lot redder than in should have been. He straightened up as Nick came back in carrying the small, nylon jacket. He wiped his thumb along Elijah's cheeks to wipe away the silent tears that were beginning to fall as Nick slipped the jacket up Elijah's arms.

Greg picked him up and tightened his arms around Elijah as his son burrowed close, his head resting on his shoulder. His right hand thumb was back in his mouth and his left hand had raised to grab hold Greg's shirt collar near the side of his neck.

Nick made sure to grab his cell phone off the table as well as Greg's before following them out to the garage, stopping only to grab the Tahoe's keys off the key hook in the mudroom. Walking into the garage, he wasn't at all surprised to see Greg in the back seat with Elijah.

The trip to the hospital was quiet, the only sounds were the trucks tires on the pavement and Greg's quiet words of comfort to his son. Nick occasionally glanced back via the rear view mirror, his concern and worry deepening each time he looked.

Nick pulled up the hospital drive and parked near the doors leading to the ER. By that time, Elijah was full out crying and was tugging and rubbing at his ear. Greg quickly unbuckled Elijah and climbed out of the truck. He turned and gently pulled Elijah out of the car seat and into his arms.

Nick joined them and shut the truck door once the two Sanders men were clear of impact. He watched while they made their way towards the stairs for the ER door as Greg gently pulled Elijah's hand away from his ear and took up rubbing and massaging in its place.

The ER nurse looked up from behind the glass partition as they walked in, taking in the massaging around the child's ear, the lack of proper sniffling despite the full out crying, and the crying that was practically silent. She quickly pulled forms out from under the desk and got a pen ready. The look of concern on both of the mens faces indicated that one of them, if not both, was the father and fathers tended to be forceful where their children were concerned. Usually.

Even though she had an idea, she had to ask, "What seems to be the problem?"

"Strong ear ache, consistently plugged nose, sore throat..." Nick trailed off and looked at Greg, trying to think if there was anything else.

"He's been tugging and rubbing on his ear for the past few weeks. I also checked his throat before we left and it was much more red than normal."

The ER nurse nodded and wrote all of that information down, "Anything else?"

"A fever. That started tonight before the ear ache became bad, but I don't know how high it is." Greg answered, pressing a kiss to Elijah's head.

"All right. I'll need you to fill out these forms. Do you have insurance?"

"Yes." Greg turned to Nick, who reached out and plucked Elijah out of Greg's arms.

As Greg sat down to fill out the forms, Nick walked over to the waiting area and sat down on one of the blue vinyl chairs. Elijah rested against his chest in much the same way Greg had been carrying him, with his head resting on a shoulder and his legs resting on both sides of Nick's stomach.

Nick massaged the ear with his right hand as his left made its usual sweeping motions along the tiny back. He lowered his head to rest against Elijah's, turning it slightly to watch Greg fill out the paperwork with a shaky hand.

After about ten minutes, the nurse came out of her office area and walked over to Nick and Elijah, "I have a bracelet for him if you could hold out his wrist?"

Nick nodded and used the hand that had been massaging the ear to gently tug Elijah's left hand from his shirt collar. The nurse slipped the plastic laminated band around the tiny wrist offered to her and snapped it shut just as Greg joined them, dropping down on to the seat attached to Nicks.

"It will only be a few more minutes." The nurse said, before an elderly couple pulled her attention away.

Greg leaned against Nick's shoulder and reached up to rub his fingers at the base of Elijah's neck. Elijah lift his head and shifted his body just enough so he could turn and look at his dad, while still laying on Nick's chest, "How you doing sproglet?" Greg asked, his voice just above a whisper.

Elijah shrugged a shoulder as Nick reached up to wipe his nose with a tissue he had gotten off of one of the end tables.

"Sanders?"

Nick and Greg both looked over to the swinging doors before standing up. They followed the new nurse to an observation room and when she motioned for Nick to place Elijah on the bed against the wall, Nick just sat down on it instead while keeping Elijah in his arms.

The nurse didn't bat an eyelash at this, instead working around Nick as she took Elijah's temperature, blood pressure and checked his ears. Whatever it was that she saw in the right ear made her frown slightly and when she looked in the left, her frown deepened considerably. She wrote something down on the chart and headed towards the door, "The doctor will be with you in a few minutes." She said over her shoulder just before she walked out.

As the door clicked shut, Greg leaned against the bed with his hand resting on Elijah's thigh, "Wonder what she saw?"

"With the past few weeks and the sudden onset of everything tonight, I'm wondering if he has an infection of some kind." Nick replied and after a pause added, "I wonder why the ER is so slow right now? It's only seven."

Greg snorted, "I doubt it'll be like this for long. We probably just managed to hit a lull in the incomings."

"Hmm."

Nick didn't have much of a chance to respond as the door opened and a man not much older then Greg walked in, Elijah's chart in hand, "Hello, I'm Dr. Kavanagh. Let's get this little guy checked out." He set the chart on the counter and grabbed a fresh pair of gloves, pausing to glance at Nick and Greg, "He's not allergic to latex, is he? Most people will tell me, but a few accidents have happened and I now find in necessary to ask."

Greg shook his head, "No, not to latex."

"All right." Dr. Kavanagh pulled them on and grabbed a tongue depressor from a glass jar next to the wall. He turned to face them and with no indication of wanting Elijah out of Nick's arms, he stepped forward with a small, comforting smile, "Okay, Elijah, I need you to open your mouth for me. Can you do that?"

Elijah looked at Greg, who nodded and smiled in reassurance, "k."

"A little wider," Dr. Kavanagh pressed the long piece of wood to Elijah's tongue, "Can you say 'Ah' for me?"

Elijah did as asked and the doctor nodded and hummed a bit to himself as he straightened up. He marked something down on the chart before grabbing the ear machine the nurse had used and pulled it closer. Before actually using it, however, he ran his fingers along Elijah's neck as well as under and behind his ears.

After he used the ear machine, followed by similar looking device on Elijah's nose, Dr. Kavanagh pulled off the gloves and leaned against the counter, arms crossed, "I would like to admit him. He's got a severe middle ear infection as well as irritated tonsils and swollen adenoids. The adenoids are going to have to be removed and I suggest doing just a partial tonsillectomy for now. As for his ears, is this his first severe ear ache? It says that he's been rubbing and pulling his ears lately but..."

"He's only had two others that he actually complained about and we treated them with ear drops." Nick replied.

Dr. Kavanagh nodded, "If this is his third, I'm going to suggest having tubes put in. All three things can be done at once, but he will have to be put to sleep. If it was just the tonsils or just the ears, it would be an outpatient treatment with your normal pediatrician."

"Why only a partial for the tonsillectomy?" Greg asked.

"There's a good chance that the tonsil irritation is tied to the infection in his nose and ears. If we don't have to remove them all the way, we usually won't. His adenoids, while also technically tonsils, are much smaller, are actually causing him problems and are most likely the root of the ear infection. I would prefer to have those out completely. Has he had any prior hospitalizations?"

Greg stiffened at the question and glanced at Nick from the corner of his eye. Because of this, he saw Nick's confused look at his lack of immediate answer, "Greg?"

Greg shook his head slightly and looked at the doctor, "Yes. April through part of June in '99."

Dr. Kavanagh looked down at the chart and then nodded slowly in understanding, "In any case, the nurse will be in a few minutes with medication and if you could let her know if you will admit him tonight or not, we'll get everything set up for you." Dr. Kavanagh gave them a small smile and walked out of the room.

Nick looked up at Greg and watched his lover bite on his lower lip, now the only outward sign at the moment of his anxiety, "Greg, I know what the doctor said, but...maybe we should take him to see Dr. Harcourt tomorrow. See what he says."

Greg looked up at Nick with wide eyes, though he was inwardly glad that Nick hadn't brought up his hesitation nor asked why Elijah had been hospitalized for such a long period of time. He knew it would come though, once Nick thought actually thought about it, "Why? What's going to be the difference between what he says and what the ER doctor just told us?"

"I don't know. Just," Nick paused, trying to gather his thoughts, "admitting him tonight and surgery tomorrow morning seems a little rushed."

Greg sat down on the bed with a sigh and tugged on his sweater sleeve, "Nick, what if the swelling in his throat gets worse tonight while we're at work, or even tomorrow when he's at daycare and we're at home sleeping? He could have trouble breathing or even stop breathing! I don't think...no, I know I couldn't put him through that when we had the option to fix it right away."

Nick could actually feel the guilt rising in his chest just at the thought of that happening. He gave a choppy nod in agreement, "Okay."

Greg wrapped an arm around Nick's back and rested his head on Nick's shoulder, "I just don't want to take that chance." He whispered, meeting his son's watery eyes.

"I know and neither do I." Nick replied, tightening his arms around the toddler, "The thought of surgery just bothers me."

"Why?"

"My cousin Alec, when we were kids, went in for surgery on a smashed leg he got while skiing. It was his first surgery of any kind and it turned out he was allergic to the anesthesia they used."

Greg lifted his head so he was looking at Nick's face, "That's horrible. What happened..."

"He was fine. It was a mild attack, though if they had left him on it longer it would have been more dangerous."

Greg kissed Nick's cheek and leaned back just as the door opened again. The same nurse who had brought them in entered, carrying a tray holding a multitude of items. She set it on the counter and turned to them, "Have you decided?"

Greg looked at Nick, who nodded his head. Greg faced the nurse again and said, "We're going to admit him tonight."

"Okay. I'll give him some drops for his ear and medicine for his throat now, then go out and get a room settled for him while you get him changed." She was quick and sure with both the drops and the medicine, administering both with a steady hand. Just watching her helped to calm Greg down a bit, "All right, here's the gown. I'll go and see about his room."

Greg took the hospital gown handed to him and thanked the nurse as she left. He took Elijah from Nick and stood him on the bed. Between the two men, they had Elijah dressed in the gown in no time. They had left him in his underwear and socks though, doubting the doctors and nurses would care much.

When Elijah was settled in a room and instructions had been given, as well as Greg filling out the forms to determine the anesthesia to be used, Nick dug out his keys and kissed Elijah on the forehead, "I'm going to run and get some pj's for him for after the surgery tomorrow. Need anything?"

"A book, maybe? One of my puzzle books too. Oh, can you call Grissom? I really don't want to leave him tonight." Greg asked, voice trembling slightly as he looked down at his son.

The tremble was barely discernible, but it was easy for Nick to pick up on, "Yeah, I can do that. I'll be back in a bit." He kissed Greg on mouth and left, leaving Greg alone with a shivering boy who was still crying.

Over an hour had passed and Greg was starting to wonder where Nick had gotten to. He was about to give in to his worry and call his wayward lover when he heard heard Nick's voice echoing down the hall.

"What do you mean I can't go in there?"

"I'm sorry sir, but visiting hours are over. Only family are allowed in now. I'll bring those things down there for you, if you'd like."

Greg could imagine Nick growling in anger at this point and Greg walked out into the hallway and groaned. Nick was upset all right, but it certainly wasn't fazing the nurse who was just about the same height as Nick. She was holding her hand out to him and scowling just as deeply as the Texan.

"Listen lady..."

"As I said, sir, it is family only." The nurse said, interrupting Nick.

"He is." Greg said, finally speaking up. He really didn't need a scene right now, especially since he could see a few curious heads popping out from doors along the hall.

"I beg your pardon?" The nurse asked, turning her head to look at him.

"I said, he is family."

"His last name indicates..."

"Is that how you determine if someone is related? There are many family members that have different last names so that's actually a bit discriminatory." Greg said, crossing his arms.

The nurse rolled her eyes and crossed her own arms, "_Immediate _family, Mr. Sanders."

"Well, he's that anyway." Greg said, glancing at Nick, "We're partners. He's Elijah's other father."

Much to the amazement of the two men looking at her, the nearly six feet tall nurse blushed a fire engine red, "Oh. Oh, I see. Go ahead." With that said, the nurse turned on the heal of her white peds and went back down to the nurses station.

Nick joined him at the door and they went back inside. A glance at Elijah showed the younger boy asleep, mouth open, and snoring away, "Grissom gave us both tonight off." He said, placing the bag he was carrying on the window ledge behind the chairs.

Greg groaned, "Both of us? People are going to start complaining if we keep doing this."

"Everyone on our shift knows about us and Grissom will probably tell them what's going on. They'll understand and get that this time, it's not our fault. Cindy on the other hand..."

"Will be plotting revenge." Greg interrupted, "One of her boys is graduating this year. Ten says she'll get back at me when graduation rolls around."

Nick shook his head, "I am not taking that bet." He turned slowly so he was facing Greg, "Why was Elijah in the hospital after his birth?"

Greg bit his lip and dropped down on to one of the chairs, "When did you..."

"In the truck on the way home. What you said kind of just hit me and I remembered that that was the year Elijah was born." Nick said, crouching down in front of him.

"Elijah was...born premature. His mother, from my understanding of what the doctors told me, came down with pre-eclampsia. They put her on medication but it didn't help. She had a cesarean when she was seven months along." Greg sighed and looked at Elijah, "In a way, it was kind of a good thing on my part. She informed me when she called that she had originally intended on putting father unknown on his birth certificate so that there would be no reason to contact me to sign away my rights. Not that I would have anyway, obviously. She felt a bit of guilt while they were stabilizing him and called me as soon as she got into recovery.

"My first glimpse of him was in NICU through the window. The couple who wanted to adopt him were in the room with him, rubbing his hand through the incubator gloves. Even though I wanted proof that he was mine, seeing that hurt so badly. He was just so tiny and here were these completely unknown people touching my son."

Nick reached out and clasped his hand, weaving their fingers together, "Did you ever find out why she was giving him up?"

Greg shrugged, "She's selfish and of really old money. She probably didn't want anything to get in the way of her inheritance including her own child."

"That's pretty..."

"Nick, you gotta understand, if it hadn't been for the school labs we never would have spoken to each other. We so did not run the same circles. She was like, poster girl for sorority, and while I was a frat, I was also a huge geek. I didn't have many friends outside of the chess club or my surfing group. Most of my frat brothers avoided me at times. My being weird did not start when I did at the lab. I've always been this way."

"So how did...?" Nick waved his hand at Elijah, "That amazing thing happen?"

"We got smashed. Big time. Our first assignment together, we agreed to study outside the classroom, but I didn't think much was going to come of it 'cause we did not get along. Thought a little wine would smooth the way to getting it done and over. Apparently, it led to other things as well. I still don't remember what happened. Was a bit of a lightweight at the time."

Nick nodded, "What about Atlanta? You said you flew there right away after she called."

"And I stayed until after he was out of the incubator for good and ready to go home. At the time, we were just preparing to start finals so as soon as I decided I wanted to stay with him after all the court crap was taken care of, I called my professors and made arrangements to take my finals as soon as I got back to the bay area."

Greg stood up and walked over to Elijah's bed and sat back down on the edge. He touched his sons hand before running his fingers through the auburn locks, "The first time I held him, I thought I was going to break him. I had only held one new born before that time and Elijah was so much smaller than that baby had been."

Nick sat down and wrapped his arms around the waist in front of him and rested his head on Greg's shoulder, "He's not all that bigger now. I thought the same thing when I held him for the first time after I met him."

"I still feel it at times. He's such a little monkey sometimes that I just start to freak out. I can only imagine how I'm going to be when he gets into sports. They'll pummel him."

Nick squeezed his arms and kissed Greg's soft neck, "I think you'll do fine."

The rest of the night passed passed much quicker after that then either man had figured it would. They spent the time reading, talking, doing Greg's puzzles together, and taking small naps as they both knew they wouldn't be able to sleep much the following morning until Elijah was at least in recovery.

Nick was down getting them coffee from the cafeteria when the nurse arrived with the IV drip containing the sedative to help put Elijah to sleep, "It won't take very long to kick in. Ten minutes tops." She said as she tied the rubber tourniquet around Elijah's arm. As she was inserting the needle into the back of his hand, a male nurse came in pushing a large gurney with an IV hook attached to it.

Greg switched Elijah to the gurney when motioned to do so and the nurse placed the bag on the hook.

"daddy?" Elijah looked up at Greg, his thumb in his mouth and eyes droopy from the mild pain medication he had been given the night before.

Greg leaned down and brushed a kiss across the warm forehead before giving him an Eskimo kiss, "You'll be fine, my little mouse. Nicky and I'll be here when you wake up."

"pwomis?"

"Yup."

Nick came in then and took in the scene before him. Greg was next to a gurney that held a tired-eyed Elijah, "Hey little man."

"nicky!"

Nick supposed that if Elijah's throat hadn't been sore and he hadn't been doped up on pain killers, as much as a three-year-old could be that is, the exclamation of his name probably would have been a shout instead of a hoarse whisper. He set the coffees on the window sill and walked over to stand next to Greg. He leaned over and kissed Elijah's cheek, his lips brushing the freckles that stood out alarmingly on the pale cheek, before whispering, "love you little man." as he stood back up.

"Me too sproglet." Greg added, hearing what Nick had said.

"luv you." came the whispered reply as Elijah's eyes fluttered shut.

Greg was practically a nervous wreck while the surgery was taking place. When he was sitting, his leg would bounce and his fingers would twitch and start tapping on the wooden arm rest of the chair. Every so often, he would get up and start pacing, coffee in hand as he walked the length of the room. Nick didn't have it in him to stop him, especially since his own leg was bouncing from nerves.

An hour after Elijah went into surgery, one of the nurses stopped by to inform them that Elijah was in recovery and doing fine, that he should be returned to the room in a half an hours time. As she left, Catherine and Warrick came in, stuffed animals in hand with mylar balloons tied around the necks of the furry creatures.

"Still not back yet?" Catherine asked, placing the stuffed black leopard on the bedside table.

"No. Half an hour." Greg said, smiling a bit at his friends thoughtfulness.

Warrick set the wolf next to the leopard and faced Greg, "How you holding up?" he had also been carrying a tray of coffees and offered one to the lab rat.

Greg shrugged and finished off his first cup of coffee as he accepted another from Warrick, "Better now."

Nick walked out of the bathroom then and smiled when he saw the visitors, "Hey guys. Kinda surprised to see you. It's only half an hour after shift end."

"Slow night." Catherine said, pulling a chair over from the empty portion of the double room, "My case was open and shut. Ended up helping Grissom and Warrick with theirs."

"Yeah, not that ours was much better. We were just about finished when she started helping." Warrick added as he sat on the arm of Catherine's chair, "Sara was pretty happy though. Since you weren't there, Nick, she got to work solo. Oh, she said she'll stop by your house later before work to see Eli."

Both Nick and Greg nodded and the conversation drifted to idle chatter while they waited for Elijah to be brought back.

-----

Greg laid the pale, sleeping boy on the couch in the family room and covered him with his Harry Potter fleece blanket. Nick had dropped the two off at home and went out grocery shopping, Elijah now on foods for the next week that they either didn't have much in the house of or none of at all.

He went into the kitchen and was sort of surprised to see the island free of their desserts from the night before. Nick must have picked up when he swung by for their things. He pulled a soda out of the fridge and nearly tossed it across the room as his phone started vibrating against his hip. He had forgotten to turn the ringer back on after they had left the hospital.

Yanking it from his carrier, he glanced at the caller ID. It was Nick. Flipping it open, he pressed it to his ear, "Forget something?" He asked, a smile of amusement crossing his face.

//Wondering what you wanted for dinner tonight.//

Greg shrugged to himself and stepped into the pantry, scanning the shelves, "How about spaghetti? You can make those garlic bread things out of hamburger buns that are really addicting."

//Do we have everything? I'll have to pick up an extra cottage cheese...//

"We have noodles. It's too late to take out a package of meat to thaw, so we need a pound of fresh. Sauce, either mushroom or garden, your choice." Greg said. He grabbed the package of spaghetti noodles and carried it back into the kitchen.

//Veggies?//

"French style green beans. All we have is a can of cut."

//What a thing to be picky about. Which Popsicles should I get? They don't carry those Mr. Freeze ones Eli likes beyond the beginning of September.//

Greg blinked, "I don't know. Maybe those rocket shaped ones? And one of those boxes of variety flavors with the ice cream inside. Oh, and some frozen fruit bars. If he doesn't eat those, I will."

//Okay. Anything else?//

"You have the list."

He heard Nick snort//I meant food for us. You know, while I'm here?//

"Oh. We need bread and hot dog buns. Maybe grab an extra bag of hamburger buns and get some chicken patties. We can have that tomorrow night."

//That means another container of cottage cheese and some chips. It's amazing we don't get sick of dairy food considering how many tubs of the stuff we go through...You want those with cheese or without for the chicken?//

"With. We good?"

//Yup. See you when I get home. Love you.//

"You too." Greg said and hung up. Just as his phone snapped shut, it started blinking and vibrating in his hand not a second later. Flipping it back open, he glanced at the caller I.D. "Sanders."

//Greg, you have another night off. Cindy said she has no problem staying.//

"Really?" Greg was really going to have to get that women a gift or something. Her birthday was coming up soon and while he had given her a card last year, this year was certainly calling for something more.

//Yes. She mentioned her one of her kids having a tonsillectomy and that she knows how you feel.//

"Cool. Thanks Grissom." Greg said.

Once off the phone with his boss, he placed a call to Rayne to let her know that she didn't have to watch Elijah that night either. After inquiring if her and Mark had eaten in preparation to invite them to a late dinner, he let her know how Elijah was doing and once he had her promise of coming up the next morning to watch Elijah while he and Nick slept, he hung up and plugged the phone into the downstairs charger.

He finally managed to get the top off his soda and was prepared to take a drink when the front doorbell rang. Groaning, he gulped half of it down as he went to answer the door.

Sara smiled as he opened it and held up yet another stuffed animal and balloons, "How's he doing?"

Greg stepped back to let her in and then shut the door, "He's sleeping right now. He woke up at the hospital long enough to eat and dropped right back off afterwards. Moving him to the car and then to the house did nothing to wake him."

"That's good. Where do you want these?"

Greg nodded towards the family room, "I put the ones from Catherine and Warrick in there so he can see them when he eventually wakes up."

"Okay." Sara brought the stuffed giraffe into the family room and set it on the coffee table with the two others. She leaned over Elijah and brushed some of his fringe with her fingers before straightening and turning to Greg, "He looks a little pale."

"Yeah, I know." Greg leaned against the wall and shoved his hands in his jeans pockets, "You want to stay for dinner?"

"Who's cooking and what are you having?"

"...Nick and spaghetti. Why?"

"Ooh, you convince him to make his garlic bread?" Sara asked, "I've only had them once but they were really good."

"I did and you didn't answer the question. Why did you want to know who was cooking?"

Sara raised her eyebrows and said slowly, "Greg, the last time I had something you made, the cookies were burnt to a crisp."

Greg rolled his eyes and turned towards the kitchen, "That was two years ago and I've gotten way better since. Rayne gave me lessons. Besides, who do you think cooked for Nick's birthday?" He paused and glanced back at Sara, "I was going to have Nick make some of the sauce without meat, but I think I changed my mind at your insensitivity."

-----

TBC...

I hope you all liked it. Don't forget to read the note at the top of the chapter.


	16. Chapter 15 October 2002

**Warning:** Sex in this chapter...seems slightly more graphic to me, but then again...that might be just me.

Thank you all for the reviews! Love them all!

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October

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Greg walked through the finished guest house with a grin on his face. When he and Nick had looked at plans back in July, this particular design jumped out at them right away. They had looked at others after seeing this one, but none of them had given them the same sort of feeling.

The original design was a three bedroom home that was only thirteen hundred square feet. A bit bigger than what usual guest houses ran, but with the size of his own house, the fact that it was bigger than it should have been didn't stand out.

What he liked the most was the openness of the main living area at the front of the house. The kitchen and dining area were partitioned off from the living room by two half walls that contained shelves for extra storage. He knew the shelves would be filled up in no time with Trixie's art supplies and Maddox's books.

The door to the finished basement was off of the kitchen and a small set of stairs, a neat addition to the one-story home that was off the living room, led up to the three bedrooms. There was a full bathroom with a separated shower and tub and it had a decent length vanity that extended off from the sink counter. Something that Sammy would hopefully enjoy.

The basement had the laundry room, a large open area for the kids to play in, and another bedroom and three quarter bath. The basement design had been hand drawn, as the plans called for just a regular open basement.

They had decided that they weren't going to worry about furniture and decorating until after Sammy and Kieran found their own place, figuring that if the couple and their children were going to be there for a few months or so, it would be cheaper to use their own furniture than it would be to put it all into storage. Just moving everything across country was going to cost them a pretty penny and he and Nick agreed early on to help them save money in any way they could.

Greg went back outside and raised an eyebrow as a harried Nick walked over to him, letting the gate leading to their backyard swing closed behind him, "Something wrong?"

"That kid...he fought me about the ear plugs again." Nick muttered as he walked up to the porch. He leaned his head against Greg's chest, being at the perfect level to do so since Greg was four steps above ground.

Greg rubbed his fingers along the back of Nicks head and tried not to laugh. Elijah desperately hated the ear plugs that he had to use whenever he was to get his head wet. The tub was no different from the pool and he fought valiantly to keep the gray rubber plugs away from his ears, despite knowing that he would get a nasty ear ache because of the tubes if he didn't.

"I'm sorry."

Nick sighed and wrapped his arms around Greg's waist, "No you're not. I can tell. It makes me glad that it's too cold for swimming now."

Greg glanced over at their mostly completed backyard and had to nod in agreement. Elijah loved the new pool with a passion and just had to swim in it whenever he had the chance. Because half the pool was deep enough for the use of a diving board, the toddler always had to have someone with him to keep him from swimming in to deeper depths. Now that they had closed it up in preparation for the Vegas version of winter, they only had to deal with Elijah's aversion to earplugs once a night for his baths.

"Yeah, no kidding." Greg pushed Nick back and walked down the steps, "Sammy called."

Nick, who had been starting after Greg towards the house, paused mid-step with a resigned look on his face, "Why does she always call you first?"

Greg smirked and pulled open the gate, "She likes me better? Or I'm nicer to her. I'm pretty sure it's the latter." He looked over his shoulder, "See Nick, you have this tendency to start picking on her when you're talking to her."

"She starts it! She does that stupid sarcastic thing she does so well and then I can't help it." Nick sighed and caught up to Greg as they walked along the half finished path leading to the small porch off of the office, "What'd she want?"

"To let us know they were at a truck stop outside of Chicago. She said that they were going to try and make it as far as Omaha tonight before stopping at a hotel."

Nick shut the door and followed Greg to the library, "So that means they should be here tomorrow night."

"If not the next morning. She said no later then that because Kieran starts his new position Monday." Greg dropped onto the window seat, "She'll have to call me when they get in, especially if you're working on a case."

Nick rolled his eyes at Greg's hesitant tone and sat down next to him, "It doesn't bother me, G. I'm glad you get along so well with my family." He paused and quickly amended that thought, "Okay, I admit I got a bit peeved when my mama called and talked to you for an hour before finally asking to talk to me, but I'm over that now. Totally cool with it."

Greg laughed and kissed Nick to shut him up, "Sure you are, Nick. Sure you are." He murmured against Nick's lips before pressing forward once more.

-----

Greg leaned against the door in the locker room, watching as Nick peeled off his clothes in preparation for a shower. His and Warrick's case hadn't been tough, exactly, but both of them came away pretty dirty from the house their homicide had occurred in, "They're at the house."

Nick paused as he bent over to pull his jeans over one foot, he cocked his head to look at Greg with a raised eyebrow, "For how long now?"

"'Bout an hour or so. I just got off the phone with a gushing Rayne. She could not believe how adorable Elijah and Trixie were when they saw each other."

"She woke him up?" Nick asked as he dropped onto the bench, "It's only five!"

"Um, actually, I think he woke her up."

"Oh." Nick stood back up and dropped his pants into a plastic bag with his shirt. He closed the bag and left it on the floor until after his shower, "Well, three more hours barring any problems."

Greg nodded, "Here's to hoping. Warrick dropped off some of your stuff for me while I was on the phone so I'll see you later."

Nick waved and made his way to the showers as Greg left the locker room.

Sure enough, Nick walked in to the DNA lab at seven, duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a sweater in the opposite hand, "How you doin' G?"

Greg closed the drawer he was digging in and smiled at Nick, "Done. We probably could have taken one car last night."

"Yeah, sure. If we had, I bet one of us wouldn't be finished right now."

"True. I just have to run and drop my coat. Be right back." Greg slipped past Nick and jogged down to the locker room, tugging his lab coat off in the process.

They followed each other home and Nick practically flew out of the Tahoe once he was parked in the garage. He ran up to the laundry room to drop his dirty clothes before going back outside to greet his sister.

"Sammy!" He called out, laughing when she jumped out of Greg's hug and into his arms, "It's good to see you."

She punched him on the arm as she pulled away, "It's only been three months Nick."

"Still...hey Kieran." He gave his brother-in-law a hug with the obligatory man slap on the back before stepping away, "Where in the world are the kids?"

Kieran laughed, "Maddox crashed on your couch just after we arrived and Rayne has the other three up in the play room." He pointed over his shoulder at the guest house with a thumb, "Man, you guys. That's a little bit more than a guest house."

Nick smirked and nudged Greg with his elbow, "Told you G."

"You were the one who chose the plans, so shut up." Greg said with a roll of his eyes. He smiled over at Sammy, "Have you been inside?"

"No. Rayne said you had the key." Sammy replied.

"Er..." Greg dug his key chain out of his pocket and blushed, "Yeah, how about that. Sorry."

Since it was the weekend, Greg and Nick promised to be help them with moving after they got some sleep. Sammy and Kieran agreed, claiming they would like to get some shut-eye as well. Rayne offered the couple her room and said that she could stay with the kids that day, a good idea since Elijah wasn't permitting his friend out of his sight and the James' kids weren't signed up at the daycare or schools yet.

Elijah woke them up around three by jumping onto the bed and landing on the men's entwined legs. He had scrambled back with quick and worry laced apologies, but neither Greg nor Nick were upset with him. Greg yawned and sat up, leaning forward to pull their son into his arms before laying back down, "How you doing sproglet?"

"okay. twixie and me swept."

Nick pushed himself up onto his elbow and tickled Elijah, his fingers skimming over the sensitive spot on his side, "You two cleaned? I bet Rayne was really happy with you." Nick glanced up and winked at Greg, who looked ready to correct his so-called faux pas.

"nooooo!" Elijah squealed out as he tried to move away from the fingers, "swept! like you and daddy."

"Oh, slept. I see."

Elijah laid against Greg and caught his breath, "had soup and gwilled cheeeese." He lengthened the second word with a giggle, "twixie's favowit."

"Did you leave us any?" Greg asked, sounding hopeful.

"no, sowwy." Elijah said, shaking his head slowly.

"Aw, phooey. That's my favorite too." Nick said, flopping over onto his back.

Greg climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom. As Greg left the room, Elijah climbed onto Nick's chest and peered down at him, "aunty wayne make some? gotta ask nice, dough. oderwise say no."

Nick laughed, causing Elijah to laugh as well as Nick's chest rose and dropped with each quick breath.

Greg walked back in then, pulling on a t-shirt as he walked. He paused just as the neck hole passed his head and raised an eyebrow, "What is so funny?"

"Nothin'. Just amused." Nick sat up and caught Elijah as he dropped backwards towards his lap, "All right little man, I gotta get up and in order to do that you gotta move." He tossed the toddler onto an empty section of the bed, Elijah still giggling away as he flew through the air and landed with a bounce.

Greg rolled his eyes as he tugged his shirt on the rest of the way, "Come on, sproglet. Let's leave this crazy man and go see what aunt Sammy and uncle Kieran are up to."

"k! twixie waked dem up too!" Elijah said as he climbed off the bed and grabbed Greg's hand.

Nick snorted and stood up. He rubbed the top of Elijah's head and pressed an absent kiss to the corner of Greg's mouth, "Hopefully their wake up call was slightly more calm than ours was."

"With these two? I wouldn't count on it." Greg said with a laugh.

-----

Nick lifted the hem of his t-shirt and wiped the sweat off that was collecting on his forehead and temples. He squirted some water into his mouth and surveyed the yard. They had most of the bedroom furniture and their corresponding boxes moved in and Sammy was ordering Greg around on where to stack the living room and kitchen boxes until after they had the still buried furniture put in the house.

He started over to help Kieran in the truck when a car horn honked from down the driveway. He turned and when he caught sight of the truck pulling up, he waved and called out for Greg, Sammy and Kieran to join him.

"You know, I didn't think they'd show up." Greg said, coming up to Nick's side.

"Warrick offered to come by and help when I mentioned Sammy and Kieran getting here, but to be honest? I didn't think he would either." Nick replied.

Warrick parked the truck and he climbed out, pushing forward his seat to allow Lindsey room to jump down. Catherine got out and smiled when she saw them all watching them, "Hey, we brought pizza!"

"Sweet!" Greg and Sammy took off towards Catherine at a run. After introducing the two women, Greg managed to grab the boxes and carry them back to the house, "Man, five pies and three boxes of bread sticks. Talk about coming prepared." He said as he walked passed Nick and Kieran.

Both men laughed and walked over to the small group, "Warrick, Catherine this is Kieran, Sammy's husband."

The two black men eyed each a moment before the both grinned and clasped hands, "Nice to meet you man."

"You too." Kieran said, before turned and shaking hands with Catherine. He looked down at Lindsey, who was hiding behind Warrick's leg at the sight of the tall man, one blue eye peering up at him, "What's your name?"

"Lindsey and she's not normally this shy." Catherine said. It was apparent that while Lindsey was okay with Warrick and all of her tall 'uncles,' the man in front of her, who was even taller than Warrick, was just a bit too much for her to handle.

"Nick! Go get the kids!" Greg yelled, stepping off the porch and heading for their house.

"Why can't you?" Nick called back, heading towards him and the backyard where the kids were playing on Elijah's mini playground.

"I'm going to get some paper plates, silverware and drinks." Greg replied when Nick caught up to him, "Just go."

Rounding up the kids was a lot easier than he figured it would be. Both Elijah and Trixie were following Maddox around like lost little puppies and once Nick mentioned pizza, the seven-year-old boy left the yard so fast Nick wondered if he had even been there. When the toddlers saw that their older friend had left them, they took off after him, especially since Elijah caught sight of Lindsey.

As they ate, Nick couldn't help but marvel at how fast the two other couples were getting along with each other. Catherine and Sammy were acting as if they were long lost friends, a rare thing as he had never seen Catherine open up quite that fast before in the four years he had known her. As for Warrick and Kieran, well, they were still sort of circling around each other but the tension was easing as they all laughed and talked over their food.

"Lindsey's been after us about her costume for Halloween. We haven't been able to come up with a compromise. There is no way I'm letting my seven-year-old daughter run around in a midriff top and low slung vinyl pants."

Greg raised an eyebrow and leaned forward to look at Catherine, "Isn't that a bit hypocritical of you?"

Catherine flung her soda cap at him as Warrick and Nick laughed, "Maybe, but it's more a case of 'do as I say, not as I do.'"

"Kieran and I are going as candy. I found the most adorable pattern for a baby tootsie roll costume, so we're just going to match Dakota." Sammy said, throwing her plate into the paper bag they were using for trash.

Greg choked on the bit of bread stick he had just taken a bite of, "Neither of you are going as Snickers are you? 'Cause I really hate that candy. Don't think I could handle looking at you at all night if you were."

Everyone laughed. Greg's dislike of the candy bar was well known around the lab. He had even once kept Sara from entering the DNA lab until she had finished hers, "No, but we're going to keep it a secret until Halloween. Maddox wants to go as Ron from Harry Potter, maybe you could do something like that for Lindsey?" Kieran suggested.

Catherine shrugged, "I could suggest it to her. She loves the books so that could work."

Elijah slammed into the house then, Trixie on his heals. He held his plate up to Greg, "daddy, we done. go play please?"

Greg glanced at Sammy before looking back down at the two pleading faces, "Are Maddox or Lindsey done?"

"no."

"You have to wait for them, small fry." Kieran said, biting into his pizza, "Can't play over there without them keeping an eye on you."

"awww, dat not cool." Elijah said, scuffing his foot on the floor.

Both Nick and Greg's eyebrows shot up. That certainly didn't sound like their usually happy-go-lucky son, "Elijah, if either one of you or even both of you got hurt, there's a chance we wouldn't hear you all the way over here. You need someone older than you to keep an eye on you."

"but daddy..."

"No buts." Greg said, shaking his head.

"we dust wanna play! dey still got lots lefted!" Elijah said, crossing his arms. His chin went up in the air as he stared at his father.

"You keep this up and you won't be playing at all the rest of the night." Greg dropped his plate into the garbage and covered his mouth to hide a burp that escaped, "'scuse me." He mumbled.

"not faiw!" Elijah turned and stomped out of the house.

Trixie leaned against her mothers leg and stuck her pointer finger in her mouth, her version of thumb sucking, "i dun't mind waitin." She mumbled, confused as to why her friend was acting like he was.

"I know sweetie." Sammy said, leaning down to give her daughter a one armed hug, "Elijah's just crabby."

"Yeah. Wonder if he's over tired." Nick said, eyes still on the porch, watching his son as Elijah sat and stared at the two seven-year-olds, urging them silently to eat and finish faster.

"There's a possibility. He was up really early." Greg added, "I think I'm going to take him back to the house. We don't need any of the other kids getting mad at him."

The rest of the adults nodded and Greg stood with a stretch, wincing as a tender muscle in his back pulled. He went out and pulled Elijah up, ignoring the cries of protest spewing out of the toddlers mouth.

When Nick joined him a few hours later, he found Greg laying on the couch in the family room with a book in one hand and an ice pack in the other, "You okay?"

"Pulled muscle. I'm fine."

Nick winced at the abbreviated speech. It was usually a good indicator of how upset Greg was. Not far enough gone to be yelling or mumbling but still upset, "What's wrong?"

"Elijah was definitely over tired. He pitched a fit as soon as we got inside. Biggest tantrum he's had in awhile and it escalated when it came time to give him his bath." Greg said, tossing the book onto the coffee table.

Nick sat down on the couch and turned so he had a leg pulled up onto the couch. He tugged the ice pack out of Greg's hand and set it on the coffee table as well, making sure it was still wrapped up in the towel so as not to leave a watermark. He then began a gentle massage on the sore back, "Where is he?"

"Bed. He dropped off about an hour ago." Greg replied with a moan. He dropped his head forward as Nick rubbed his neck and shoulders. He then moaned again, this time in displeasure, as Nick stopped, "Why..."

"Come on." Nick grabbed the ice back and brought into the kitchen, tossing it into the sink, towel and all. He went back to the family room and pulled Greg to his feet.

Confused, Greg allowed Nick to pull him along, leading him upstairs. He waited outside their room while Nick looked in on Elijah and then urged him into their room. Nick bypassed the bed and sitting room, instead heading for the bathroom. Once in there, he turned on the tap and added bubbles to the rising water in the whirl-pool tub. Greg smiled at the thought of them taking a bath together and eagerly began undressing. His smile faded, though, as Nick didn't undress with him, "Nick?"

Nick's smile was decidedly mischievous and he shook his head. When the tub was full, Greg was still in his boxers, feeling a bit uncomfortable at being the only one naked. Or as near to naked as he was.

"Come on, G. Short's off too."

Greg's glare probably would have been more scathing if he weren't mostly naked and so he shoved his boxers off with an unhappy sigh, "There."

"Cool. Now get in."

As soon as Greg was settled in the tub, Nick stripped off his t-shirt and kneeled at the edge of the tub, washcloth in hand. He raised Greg's arm and began wiping him down, his strokes soft and loving. He washed every inch of Greg's body and even shampooed and conditioned the blond spiky locks.

When he was finished, he pressed his hands to the ledge and pushed himself up to kiss Greg. After he pulled away, he ran his fingers along Greg's cheekbone, "Relax for a bit, okay? I'm going to go take care of some things."

Greg sighed and slid down in the tub, "Okay."

Nick stood up and went out of the room. He first peeked in again on Elijah, smiling at the contently sleeping three-year-old. Then he went back into their room and pulled the bottle of massage oil out of the drawer. It wasn't stuff they used often, usually going for the normal bottle of lube, but Nick wanted to use this stuff tonight, sort of as a bit of a reminder of their first night together as actual lovers.

He also stripped the bed to the sheet and folded the blanket at the foot of the bed. Their comforter was dry-cleaned only and their cleaners were starting to smirk knowingly every time they brought the thing in to be cleaned.

Nick went back to the bathroom and stared down at Greg, who had his eyes closed, "You're not sleeping, are you?"

Greg smiled, "No."

"Let's get you up and dried off. There's a bottle of something waiting for you in the bedroom."

"Beer?" Greg asked. He stood up and hit the stopper with his foot even as he accepted the towel from Nick and started drying off.

"No."

Curious, Greg quickly finished his rub down, and with the towel wrapped around his waist, he followed Nick back into the bedroom. When he saw the bottle of oil, he grinned at the memory it brought back, "Got something planned?"

Nick smiled as well and nodded his head at the bed, "Maybe. Down you go." He took the towel from Greg and pushed him onto the bed. He tossed the towel down the hall and grabbed the bottle before climbing onto the bed, "Turn over. I want to work that muscle you pulled."

"Okay."

Nick spent a bit of time massaging Greg's back, rubbing at the knots that had accumulated from the furniture moving as well as the stress of dealing with a crabby toddler. When Greg was a moaning puddle of goo from his ministrations, he gently turned him over and leaned down to kiss him, his intentions clear.

They worked each other into a frenzy with hands and mouths traveling each others bodies, Nick practically growling when Greg spent a considerable amount of time on the crease above his collar bone.

Soon, Greg flopped onto his back and reached for the oil, handing it to Nick. While Nick knew what Greg was thinking, he just shook his head and popped the cap, dripping the oil down onto his fingers.

Instead of reaching for Greg, however, he wrapped his arm around his own back. Greg's mouth dropped open and his fingers clenched, gripping the thighs his hands were resting on. They hadn't done this since their first night together! Nick had always been the one who topped so far, as Greg's embarrassment at what had happened when he attempted to top the first time was still clear in his mind.

Nick pulled his fingers away from himself and after putting on a condom and slicking Greg up, he kneeled and carefully lowered himself, enjoying both the feeling of being entered and the view of Greg's eyes squeezing shut as he tried to control himself. Then he started to move.

Greg gasped and his eyes flew open as Nick rose up and dropped back down. He couldn't keep still and the next time Nick prepared to lower himself, Greg's hips slammed up. It was an incredible feeling and it was as if a dam had burst open. Their movements sped up and their hands and mouths joined the fray once again.

Greg managed to bring Nick off first and once the gasping Texan began to slow his movements due to post-orgasmic lethargy, he surged up and pressed Nick down onto the bed, his hips moving all the while.

"Nick, Nick...so good." He groaned, resting his head on Nick's chest, hips still moving, "Close...God..."

Nick dug his nails into Greg's back and pulled him up as much as he could, their mouths finding each other, "Nick, come on, please..." Greg pleaded, beyond pleasure.

Nick slid his tongue into Greg's mouth, teasingly running it along the roof. Normally, Greg didn't actually need Nick to use that spot in his mouth to help him come, but there were times, like now, when the pleasure was too intense to keep up with for very long.

When Greg whimpered, Nick's tongue became more forceful and Greg's breathing halted at the same time as his hips. Nick pulled away and watched Greg's face as he came, the sight never failing to make his chest tighten in happiness.

Greg collapsed into Nick's arms with a gasp as his breathing returned, "Wow. I..."

Nick chuckled, knowing what Greg was trying to say, and tightened his arms, "Yeah."

TBC...

See? Bit more graphic. Heh. Well, I hope you enjoyed and all I ask when the next chapter rolls around is...don't kill me.


	17. Chapter 16 October 2002

Thank you all for your fabulous reviews! I'm still trying to reply to them, but its obviously not working. I really hope you enjoy this one...

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October

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Greg walked into the play room as he sipped on his cup of coffee. He'd been up for about half an hour now and Sammy had dropped Elijah off just after he had woken up. The toddler had gone straight off to play while Greg went through his 'morning' routine and he was now curious as to what his son was doing. He paused at the edge of the room and grinned.

A CD Rayne had burned for him, a collection of Beach Boy's hits, was playing on the stereo and Elijah was dancing around the room. He was surprisingly almost on beat with the song playing although the dance he was trying to do didn't match the song. He wondered who was attempting to teach his son the robot but decided he probably didn't want to know.

He set his mug on the kitchenette counter and went into the play room when the last chorus of _Surfin' Safari _ended. Elijah turned in a circle to the beat and promptly caught sight of Greg, "daddy! dance wit' me!"

Greg shrugged, "Sure, why not?"

His grin widened as the next song started and he started bobbing his head to the singing and as the music kicked in, he grabbed Elijah's hands and did a pull and push type move. When the first verse started he dropped Elijah's arms and copied his moms old swim dance as he started singing along, "_I'm getting bugged driving up and down the same old strip_," Laughing through the words as Elijah started copying his moves, he switched to the monkey dance, head bopping along with his arms, "_I gotta find a new place where the kids are hip_."

They switched between those two dances, neither one of them staying in the same spot as they bobbed and weaved to the old rock tune. More than halfway through the song, Greg switched from the swim to the twist and nearly fell over in laughter as Elijah tried to twist as well, only to end up hopping in a circle instead.

Nick shifted in bed and lifted his head to squint at the door. Greg had this terrible habit of leaving it open when he got up and the light from the hallway always fell on his half of the bed. He grumbled under his breath about forgetful lovers and got up, scratching his stomach under his t-shirt.

He walked out into the hallway and was about to start down the stairs when music drifted to his ears. Curious, he followed the sound, eyebrows climbing when he made out the chorus of the song, "Greg's listening to _I Get Around_?" he whispered, confused. That certainly didn't sound like his lover, who usually preferred heavier sounds such as Marilyn Manson, Papa Roach, and his new favorite band Drowning Pool.

When he walked into the kitchenette off of the playroom, he had to bite his knuckle to keep from laughing along with Greg as Elijah hopped around in a circle. It was pretty obvious he was trying to copy Greg, but couldn't get his hips to cooperate. He leaned against the wall and watched his two 'men' dance.

As the song came to an end and the next was about to began, Nick felt a faint inkling of surprise when neither one of the two dancers noticed him. Both had an uncanny sense of when he was near, but now, nothing. He was about to announce his presence but the next song started and Greg pulled Elijah up into his arms, hips swaying to the guitar music.

Greg leaned his forehead against Elijah's and just looked at him, giving a soft smile as small freckled arms wrapped around his neck. He knew this song by heart, and while his son didn't know the words yet, he knew the song as well and the toddlers smile was wide as Greg started singing along, "_If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever...I asked the sky just what we had, ooh, it shone forever_."

He pressed a kiss to Elijah's temple at the pause for the background singers and tightened his arms, "_If the song I sing to you could fill your heart with joy, I'd sing forever_." Another pause and he placed a second kiss, "_Forever...Forever...I've been so happy loving you_."

Nick's heart caught in his throat as he watched the scene before him. Greg's singing voice was low and husky and his eyes never once left Elijah's face. He watched Greg sway to the music and he sucked in a silent breath as Greg started singing along to the song again.

"_Let the love I have for you, live in your heart and beat forever. Forever...Forever...I've been so happy loving you_."

A guitar rift started and Greg swung Elijah in a circle as the tempo increased slightly and Nick let out a nearly silent chuckle that was covered by the music. Greg continued swaying, but it was a little faster than before, and blew a raspberry onto Elijah's neck. The music then slowed back down and Greg calmed his moves, resting his forehead against Elijah's once more, "_If every word I said could make you laugh, I'd talk forever_."

Greg nuzzled his nose into Elijah's, giving him an Eskimo kiss as the music sped back up. He turned his head slightly to rest against Elijah's and finally caught sight of Nick standing there. Instead of blushing, a normal response when Nick caught Greg dancing, he simply smiled softly at him and continued to sway, eyes locked with the intense brown he loved so much. His smile grew into a grin when Nick mouthed 'I love you' and he whispered it in reply, meaning for Elijah to hear it and for Nick to catch it as well.

-----

Nick pulled a white sweater over his head, "So what did your grandmother want?" he asked, in reference to the phone call Greg had received earlier that afternoon from her after his dance with Elijah.

Greg looked up at Nick from where he was sitting on the bed, tying the laces of his boots, "She was checking on Elijah. It was weird. She kept talking about him being upset. The only thing I can figure is she was talking about his surgery last month."

"Didn't you tell them about it?"

"Well yeah." Greg dropped his leg and flexed his foot. He hadn't worn the boots in awhile and they were a bit uncomfortable, "But the worry thing is hereditary, apparently." Greg paused and cocked his head in thought, "So are her psychic abilities. You don't think she was calling to warn me about something, do you?"

"If she was," Nick flipped an orange scarf around his neck and tied it, "I wouldn't worry about it now. It can't be anything too serious if she didn't give you any details." As Greg nodded in thoughtful agreement, Nick tugged on the scarf around his neck, feeling extremely uncomfortable, "I can not believe you talked me in to this."

Greg smirked and ran his hand down his chest, smoothing the wrinkles from the over-sized, olive green t-shirt he was wearing, "Come on, with the costumes we got for Elijah and Trixie, how could we go as anything else?"

"G, we're going as Fred and Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. You put me in an ascot!" He turned to the mirror and adjusted it to a somewhat more comfortable spot on his neck, "and my hair is blond. I look like Liam." He crossed his eyes at his image and turned back around, taking in the sight of Greg.

His lover made a pretty good Shaggy, all things considered. His hair was messy and down, he had glued a fake goatee onto his chin and dug out an old green tee and baggy, dark brown cords. Nick, himself, was in Fred's signature orange ascot, white sweater with blue undershirt and a pair of boot-cut jeans that Greg had found at a thrift store.

All of this because Greg had found the 'cutest Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dee costumes ever!' Those were Sammy's words, not Greg's thankfully. He still wasn't sure how Greg had talked him into this, but he had. Nick was suspecting that he had been half asleep when Greg had sprung the idea on him. It wouldn't be the first time his spiky-haired lover had pulled that trick and it probably wouldn't be the last either.

"All right. Sammy, Kieran, and the kids should be here in a few. Catherine and Warrick said they'd be here at five and trick-or-treating starts at six. Gives us enough time to eat before heading out." Greg said, glancing at the clock.

"We should have just changed after we ate. It would have made more sense." Nick said, heading out of the room and down the stairs.

"No, not really. Someone would have started lagging behind because he didn't want to wear his costume." Greg muttered, knowing Nick wouldn't hear him.

When they reached the kitchen, they saw Elijah sitting at the kitchen island in the body-suit part of his costume. He was bouncing away to the Halloween CD in the kitchen player and coloring in the Halloween coloring book Rayne had gotten for him. He looked up when he saw his parents and squealed at the sight of their costumes, "cool!"

Nick ruffled auburn curls as he sat down on the stool next to Elijah, "Cool, huh? Do you even know who we are?"

"uh huh!" Elijah's head bobbed, "fwom scooby-doo! like me!"

Greg nodded, "Right. Names?"

"um..." Elijah's face screwed up in intense thought, "fwed and...uh, shaggy?"

"All right sproglet!" Greg said, swooping down to blow a raspberry on his neck.

"Are we interrupting something?" An amused voice came from the doorway and both men looked up and their jaws dropped when they took in their guests.

Sammy and Kieran had certainly dressed up as candy. Kieran was wearing a bright yellow, nineteen twenties gangster suit with the Sugar Daddy's design on it while Sammy was wearing a thigh long sweater designed to look like a Mounds bar wrapper over matching red leggings. Dakota was in his stroller, wearing his Tootsie Roll costume and was being pushed by Maddox, who's hair was a shocking orange against his dark skin and the dark Hogwarts robes.

"No and where's Trixie?" Nick asked, standing up to look for his niece.

Kieran looked down behind him and stepped to the side, revealing the little girl. Her costume was about two shades lighter than Elijah's and had a pink bow made out of ribbon around its neck. Her suit matched the color of her skin fairly closely, making it hard to tell where skin and felt actually met.

"Aw, you guy's look so cute..." Greg said. He grabbed up the camera off the island and snapped a picture of the James' family, barely holding back a smile as the two adults scowled at him.

"Could say the same for you, Shaggy. It's amazing how much you look like the _cartoon_ character." Sammy said, suddenly smirking. There was no way her brothers boyfriend looked anything like the 'real-life' version of Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo movie that had been released that summer and her snipe was an indication of that. She looked Nick over and winced, "You just look like Liam."

Nick's gaze flew to Greg even as his eyes narrowed, "I told you!"

Greg rolled his eyes and went down to the stove, pulling off the cover of the crock pot that was resting next to it. He began poking and pushing whatever was inside before placing the cover back on and turning to the stove.

"What are we having?"

Greg jumped and looked over his shoulder at Sammy, who was peering down into the cooker with a glazed-over look on her face. He knew that it smelled good, but really, "Porketta roast sandwiches, glazed carrots and mashed potatoes."

"Sandwiches? Greg, that roast was whole when we bought it." Nick said, flipping through Elijah's activity book, trying to find something a little more challenging than pumpkin connect the dots.

"And it fell apart. _I_had nothing to do with it. Besides, it's really good this way. The juices soak into the buns and you really don't need any condiments for them." Greg said.

The roast finished just as Catherine, Warrick and Lindsey arrived. Lindsey had relented and agreed to go as Hermione from Harry Potter, complete with poofy hair, while Catherine was dressed up as Jeannie from the old seventies show and Warrick matched her as Major Tony Nelson.

Nick was tempted to cover Greg's eyes when the blond CSI came in. Her outfit was bordering on indecent or maybe just crossing over. The top was exactly like the one Jeannie wore on the show, just covering her chest assets. The jacket was small and her pants were like a pair of low riding shiny underwear with billowing tulle to form the pants legs.

Greg caught what Nick was thinking and took his hand to prevent any sort of covering of his face, "Are you trying to prove that whole 'do as I say, not as I do' theory you mentioned a few weeks back?" He asked, looking her over.

Catherine smirked and crossed her arms, "Maybe." She paused and sniffed, "God, it smells good in here."

-----

They had decided to stick to Greg's neighborhood that night, for the two simple reasons that it was close to home and the school in the area put on a carnival of sorts every year at the park it was stationed across from. The kids were pretty happy with staying close to their starting point, as the the houses in the area were around the same size as Greg's and the owners were known to hand out full sized candy bars.

Elijah was chomping away at a peanut butter cup, jaws methodically moving to chew the large bite he had taken. Greg rolled his eyes and grabbed the cauldron bucket the toddler was using and emptied it into the brown paper bag Nick was carrying. The bucket was small and with the size of the candy bars, it needed to be emptied every four houses or so. By emptying it often, it also kept little fingers from opening too much candy at once.

They were two blocks from the park and were waiting for Lindsey, Maddox, Catherine and Warrick to return, the house they chose to go up to voted too scary by Elijah and Trixie. Trixie was gripping Kieran's hand and refusing to look up at the house while Elijah, despite not wanting to go up, was watching the ghosts hung from a tree in fascination as he let the second peanut butter cup drop onto his hand from its package.

Just as he finished the second cup, a gust of wind blew up and caught the wrapper gripped loosely in his small hand. He uttered an "oopsie." and looked up at Greg and Nick, wondering what he should do.

"Go ahead and get it sproglet." Greg said, "There are already too many kids tossing wrappers on the ground. Don't need to add to it."

Elijah nodded and went after the wayward wrapper, giggling every time the wind blew it away from him. His laughter caught Trixie's attention and she joined in the hunt, trying to stay on the opposite side of the wrapper as Elijah. There was another large gust of the wind and the wrapper blew into the branches of the hedge lining the houses property.

The toddlers let out over-dramatic sighs and went over the hedge, moving the branches out of the way from where the wrapper had been blown through. The branches moved easily, leaving a hole big enough for Elijah to stick his head through, which he did. What he saw when his head was through, however, was not the missing wrapper.

He screamed and flung himself away from the hole, falling onto his butt and hands in the process. He scrambled backwards, still screaming and staring at the hedge. Greg ran over to him and lifted him up, "What? What's wrong?"

Elijah buried his head with a sob and refused to answer, the screams turning into a crying jag that was just as loud. Nick, realizing they weren't going to get anything out of Elijah, started for the hedge just as Trixie started screaming also. Her curiosity on what had spooked her friend overcame any fear she might have felt and had looked into the hedge as well. Kieran ran over and grabbed his daughter up but stayed standing near Nick, wondering what was going on.

Nick peered in through the hedge and nearly gagged, "Holy shit." He muttered and leaned forward to get a better look. It being Halloween, he wanted to be sure what he was seeing was real and not some prank being pulled by older kids.

It was real, Nick soon realized as he looked closer. It was the body of a woman, who looked to be no older than twenty-five. It had to have been a somewhat fresh murder and dump as she was wearing an extremely provocative Xena like costume and there was a feathered mask tucked into the calf wrap of her shoe. The costume, which had ties running up the side of her torso, had been ripped along the first three inches on the side of the body and the front of the skirt, if it could be called that, had been ripped completely away from the top of the costume. It left no doubt in his mind as to how or why she had been murdered.

He backed out of the bush and took a deep breath of fresh air before turning to his sister, "I need my cell phone."

As she started digging through the strollers bag, Greg asked, "What? Nick what the hell is going on?"

"Yeah, what is going on?" Catherine asked, as she jogged up to the group, "We heard the screaming all the way up at the house. Lindsey and Maddox won't come back down."

"There's a body." Nick said, pointing to the hedge. Catherine went to take a look as Greg swore and began to attempt to calm Elijah down now that he knew what had scared his son. He was suddenly glad they had decided to put Elijah in pull ups that night, not only because they had figured they wouldn't hit a bathroom until they got to the park, but also because some of the places could be terribly scary and they hadn't wanted to deal with ending the night early in case of an accident.

Sammy finally unearthed the phone and tossed it to Nick before going and taking her daughter from Kieran. Nick ran through his contacts quickly and placed a call to Brass, preferring to go through him then deal with the LVPD, who were known to be over wary on Halloween because of the influx of prank calls.

Catherine went back up the drive to get Warrick and the two kids with him as Nick relayed what he could to Brass. As he hung up, he walked over to where Greg had sat down on the curb and joined him, wrapping both arms around Greg and their son. He leaned to look at Elijah, wondering if it was wrong of him to be happy at the moment that the toddler had cried himself to sleep. He tightened his arms and whispered, "I wanted to do this this afternoon, you know."

Greg looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Do what?"

"Wrap my arms around the two of you and just not let go. If I had at the time, I doubt we'd be out here right now though. Which in hindsight probably would have been a good thing." Nick replied, glancing back at the hedge, "Brass said to stay here until he and this areas jurisdiction arrives."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Greg said. He freed his left arm, wrapped it around Nick's lower back and leaned into the Texan, "God, Nick, why'd it have to be him?"

Nick didn't have to ask who Greg was talking about. He knew from the shivers going through Greg and the hitch in his voice. He raised his hand from where it rested on the arm Greg still had wrapped around Elijah and ran his fingers through the auburn curls of their son, "I don't know, Greg. I really don't know."

Something clicked for Greg then and he looked at Nick with such sadness that Nick felt his breath hitch, "She knew."

"Who?"

"Nana. She knew! Why didn't she say anything? God, we could have avoided this whole thing if she had just told me!"

Nick tightened his grip on his lover and shook his head sadly. Nana Olaf, or Krista, didn't make family based predictions often. In fact, this was the second one in the time he had been dating Greg, although the first had certainly been enough to turn him into a believer when it came true, "I don't know. I'm sure she had a reason for it, Greg."

Greg sighed and dropped his head onto Nick's shoulder, "Can't change the future. That's what she always says. When she has a vision about the family, no matter how rare that is, she'll only disclose the after effects so we don't change the future. And thats if she decides to tell us at all."

"That doesn't make sense. Everything we do changes the future." Nick said, his frown deepening.

"She says that there are major events that take place in everyones life. Events that are needed. Those are the ones that she sees." Greg paused and a small smile appeared, "Well, except for yours. Don't know how finding a cow in the middle of the road could be considered a major event."

TBC...

Well, there you go. I hope I did an okay job on that section. Let me know?


	18. Chapter 17 November 2002

Wow, a late post for me. Oddly enough, my friend posted last night, but I didn't get around to it. My sleep schedule (what I have of one that is) was a bit thrown off this weekend. At any rate, I hope you enjoy.

Thank you again for the reviews. I'm thrilled with the response the last chapter got.

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November

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Greg gritted his teeth and tossed another handful of rocks down near the side of the house. Two days now, two freaking days and swing shift was no closer to finding out what had happened to the woman in the bushes. Normally, he wouldn't care that it was taking forever to solve a case, but his son was the one who had found the body and the lack of closure, or rather the lack of killer, frustrated him.

Yesterday, they had called in Sara to help Adrien Donald and Riley Parker, neither of whom were getting anywhere fast. Outside of Grissom, she was the only one on night shift who wasn't associated with finding the body. She had managed to get a hit on something before Greg had left that morning, finally identifying the body as twenty four-year-old Shannon Kirk.

Greg couldn't help thinking on the drive home about her parents. Would they be happy or not to learn about the death of their daughter? The thought hadn't comforted him in the least.

He rolled up the empty bag of landscaping gravel and tucked it away under a full bag. Down on his knees, he opened a new bag when Nick walked around the corner, "Sara nailed it."

Greg looked up at Nick and then down at his watch. It was after noon already, "So?" He asked, standing up.

"Things got out of hand at a masked party she was at. One of those leave yourself behind things? A friend said that Kirk kept telling some guy no before finally giving in and leaving the party with him. That had been around midnight on Wednesday."

"And Dave clocked her for a four a. m. death." Greg said. He rubbed his hands along his face, not particular caring at the dirt that was left behind from the action, "That's somewhat of a relief."

Nick shook his head, "It was the homeowner of that house. Well, more like his angry wife."

Greg, who had been in the process of cleaning up his mess, froze, "Marlene Wilkins killed her?" His voice was no louder then a whisper and it was hoarse from disbelief, "No shit."

"You know her?"

"Yeah, kinda." Greg dropped down onto his ass and rested his elbows on his knees, "Fuck."

Nick kneeled down in front of Greg and ran his hands along the inside of Greg's elbow, "Shit, G, are you serious?"

Greg nodded and let one his hands pick at invisible fuzzies on Nick's t-shirt, "Weren't close or anything, but I've talked to her at a few times at some of the area functions."

Nick tightened the grip on the arms he was holding and decided to change the subject, "How was Elijah last night?"

"A few nightmares, wet the bed once. You were out on scene when he called after the second nightmare."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Greg looked up at Nick. The Texans eyes filled with worry and not just a little bit of sadness. Hating himself for putting part of that look there, Greg raised his hands and ran them through Nick's hair, "I'm sorry. I should have, but you needed to concentrate on that case and worrying over Elijah wasn't going to help you."

Nick frowned, "Greg, you can't just expect me to..."

Greg pressed his fingers to Nick's lips, effectively silencing him, "What would you have done?"

Nick stared at him a moment before sighing and nodding, "All right, but the next time he calls in the middle of the night I want to know." He said after he kissed Greg's fingertips and pulled them away.

"All right, I think that can be arranged."

"Good."

-----

Greg gathered the sheets of papers in front of him and stood with a yawn. It was well into his dinner break, but there had been something bugging him about the fight case. It wouldn't leave him alone until after he figured out the problem. As he started toward the lab door, he paused when he saw Nick talking to Grissom, "Yeah, but it's like the night of the Pifflings out there and I'm on a smash and grab."

Grissom cocked his head and his eyebrow's knitted together slightly, "Pifflings?"

Greg snorted as Nick started to explain the term to Grissom. He remembered that documentary on the Puffins, mainly because Nick and Elijah had shushed him every time he had gone to ask a question.

As he watched, Grissom finally nodded with a look of enlightenment on his face, "Animal Planet." He then turned and started down the hall, leaving a bemused Nick behind.

"How come when you talk about bugs everyone says you're a genius, but when I talk about birds everyone says I watch too much television?" Nick called out.

Grissom paused and looked over his shoulder, "I don't know. Look, the next night of the Pifflings, you get the first dead body."

"Copy that." Nick said and turned around, finally facing Greg, "How long have you been there?"

"Long enough." Greg smirked and stepped into the hallway, "You do watch a lot of TV, come to think of it."

Nick swatted Greg's head with his folder and started walking down the hall, "So say's the man who falls asleep with the TV on in the morning."

Greg stuck out his tongue and followed in the direction Grissom had gone. He had figured his boss was headed towards the layout lab and as he walked in, it was apparent his guess had been right, "We have a problem."

Warrick looked up at him, "Pile it on."

Greg nodded and held up the paper, "Well, in the interests of posterity, I took it upon myself to establish provenance for the killer gloves. I mean, DNA-wise. On my own time, of course, of which I have precious little, so that should count for something." He said, bouncing forward onto his toes slightly.

"Greg, why are you always doing this?" Grissom raised his hands to emphasize the question, his tone one of exasperation.

Greg looked at Grissom, "Because you make me nervous."

He paused and then started talking again when Grissom looked away, "My point is," He handed the sheet to Grissom, "The epithelias found on the surface of the glove, they're not Laroi Steele's. Those aren't the gloves that killed him." He pointed to the table in general as he looked at Grissom once more to see his reaction, which was one of shock, though it was barely visible.

Greg smiled grimly and looked at the other CSI's in the room as Sara let out a sigh and turned to face Warrick. He rocked onto his toes once more and shoved his hands in his pockets before turning and heading out of the layout lab. He went down to the break room where a dish of leftover lasagna was waiting for him.

After heating it up, he went to his lab and dropped down in front of the little used computer. It was mainly used for storage of reports as it wasn't connected to the labs Internet, although a few of the other DNA lab techs did like to play tricks with it. Like the time he made a background that was identical to the one on there already, icons included, and then deleted the real icons.

Marcus, day shifts lab tech, Tanya from swing shift, and Cindy had all thrown fits and filed reports about it being faulty. Greg claimed to have no problems that night. It had been hilarious on his end of it until Marcus talked Archie into taking a look. It went downhill rather quickly after that for him.

After taking a bite of the Italian dish, he clicked on the games tab and brought up spider solitaire, a game he was slowly working on getting better at. He was only up to two suits, but he was getting better.

He was on his third game and just finishing his dinner when the lab phone rang, "Sanders." He said, after picking up the handset.

//daddy?//

A quick glance at the computer's clock showed it to be around four, so his son wasn't just getting up before he got home and wanting to talk to him, "Hey sproglet. Had another nightmare huh?"

//...no, but...i wet bed 'gain.//

A knock to the counter behind him had Greg freezing. Although instead of hanging up on his son this time, like he had many moons ago when Nick had walked in while he was chatting with Elijah, he just turned around and met worried eyes, "What time, babe?"

//aunty wayne says two. cant sleep.//

"There's someone here who might be able to help with that." Greg said, motioning for Nick to step closer.

//who?//

Greg smiled, "How about I hand the phone over and you can find out?"

//k. luv you, daddy.//

"You too, babe." He passed the phone to Nick.

Nick accepted the phone and Greg was glad the look of worry had dissipated while he had listened to Greg talk to Elijah. Nick's, "You want _me_ to sing you a song?" had his eyes widening as they flew to Nick's face. He didn't even know if the Texan could sing. Nick didn't care much for his music and Greg could only tolerate so much country, "Why can't daddy or even Rayne...me huh?"

Nick sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, probably thinking of a song or squaring himself up for some serious ribbing from Greg if he couldn't carry a tune. Not that Greg would actually do that, but he wasn't about to say anything.

"All right..._Help me if you can I've got to get, back to the house at pooh corner by one. You'd be surprised, there's so much to be done. Count all the bees in the hive. Chase all the clouds from the sky. Back to the days of Christopher Robin and Pooh_..."

Greg relaxed into the chair as the old Kenny Loggins song floated over him. His mom had been a huge Kenny Loggins fan and actually wore out her records when he was younger from over playing them. Even though he liked Winnie-the-Pooh, and despite the fact that Elijah's 'nursery' at his parents had been done up in Winnie-the Pooh décor, it had never once crossed his mind to have Elijah listen to the old song.

The way Nick sounded singing it, however, he figured the Texan had already taken care of that. It was obvious that this was not the first time Nick had sung it and while there was a chance it had been to his nieces and nephews, he was betting Elijah had heard it from him before as well. His lover had a surprisingly smooth voice and Greg began thinking of all things he could do to get his lover to sing again, except the next time it was going to be just for him.

"Love you too, little man...I will. Bye." Nick handed the phone back to Greg and said, "I was told to tell you that Elijah loves you." Greg nodded and placed the phone back on the hook. Nick pulled himself up onto the counter, "Well, at least it was just bed wetting."

"Yeah. It was hard when he called about the nightmare and there wasn't much I could do." Greg sighed and looked up at Nick, "You know, Thanksgiving is in two weeks."

"Yeah." Nick said slowly, wondering where Greg was going with the topic change.

"Just a warning. My parents and grandparents are coming up." Greg paused and bit his lip, "I think we should invite yours."

"We can ask. I don't know if they'll come though. They usually spend it with Liam, Lynn and Tasha." Nick said and jumped down off of the table, "Well, my break is over." He glanced at the computer as he tugged at Greg's hair, his replacement for kisses while they were at work, "Don't have too much fun now."

Greg rolled his eyes and shut the game down, "Of course not."

-----

Nick lowered his book to his chest as Greg, who had been pacing the family room while he talked to his mother, paused, "Early next week? Mom..." Greg made a noise in his throat as he turned to face Nick, "Mom, look, we kinda...no, of course not. We want you here, but..."

Nick sat up and placed a bookmark into the crease of his book before turning his full attention to Greg's conversation with Jan. He was sort of wishing she had called the landline so he could talk to her at the same time, "Greg, just tell her they're going to have to use the aero bed."

Greg covered the mouthpiece and rolled his eyes at whatever his mom was going on about, "I'm trying to, but she's not letting me talk." He uncovered the mouthpiece and all but yelled, "Mom!"

Nick caught his hand and pulled so that Greg dropped down onto his lap. Greg looped an arm over Nick's shoulders and transferred the phone to the ear closest to Nick's, "Mom, are you done?"

//I was just talking Greg.//

"I know. Will you just listen for a minute?" When Jan didn't say anything Greg pressed on, "What I've been trying to tell you is that we don't mind you coming early, but we took the bed out of the room you use. You and dad are going to have to use the aero bed."

Jan was silent for a moment//May I ask why?//

Greg dug his fingers into Nick's shoulder and let out a whimper at his mothers tone. Nick snorted in amusement and took the phone out of Greg's hand, "Jan? It's Nick."

//Oh, hi honey. Look, Greg was just explaining to me that Dave and I were going to use the blow up bed. I'm just a little curious as to why.//

Nick chuckled at the change in Jan's tone of voice. From calm and irritated to dripping in honey, "We turned that room into my, ah, den. We were going to have you stay in the guest house, but my sister is living there right now until they can afford a place of their own."

He could almost visualize Jan's nod when he heard her earrings dangle against her phone//Yes, Greg's mentioned that. I think it is so sweet that you're helping her out. Dave and I really don't mind taking the aero. Or, even better, we could use Elijah's...//

"Yeah, that might not be such a good idea..." Nick trailed off when Greg started shaking his head wildly. Apparently, there was something Greg hadn't told his mother, "Jan, can we call you back? Our beepers just went off."

//Of course. Tell my son I love him and that I will certainly be talking to him later.//

"Sure. Talk to you later." Nick snapped Greg's phone shut and leaned back to look at Greg straight on, "What the hell, G?"

Greg frowned, "I didn't tell her and I can't believe you just lied to my mother like that."

Nick nodded slowly and said, "I'm sorta getting that, G. Why not? And I don't mean about lying to your mother either."

Greg sighed and slid off Nick's lap so he was leaning against the armrest of the couch, "Look, my mom, she's really over protective. The reason I made all those plans to join sports when I came out here to live was because under her roof, I couldn't play anything. If I had told her about what happened to Elijah, she would have been on the first plane out here and she would _never leave_."

"Well, she's going to want to know why she and your dad can't use Elijah's bed." Nick said as he massaged Greg's calves through his jeans, "Didn't Krista tell her?"

"Yeah, let them in there without saying anything and they're going to wonder why he has plastic under his sheets all of a sudden." Greg dropped his head back, "Could we just tell her that Elijah started wetting the bed without going into details? And no, nana didn't tell her. She doesn't do stuff like that." He lifted his head to look at Nick, "Have you called your parents yet?"

"Uh, no." Nick replied.

"Why not?

Nick shrugged, "Figured I'd let Sammy do it."

"Nick..." Greg pushed himself up onto his elbows, "Just call already. Thanksgiving is just over a week away. If they do say yes, they're going to have to get their tickets as soon as possible."

Nick stared at him for a moment before nodding. He flipped Greg's phone back open and dialed in his mom's office number, figuring with the time she'd be there and not in the main part of the house.

//Hello Greg.// Jillian answered after a few rings.

"Actually, mama, it's Nick. Greg's phone was closer."

//Nick! Oh this is so unexpected. Is something wrong with Elijah?//

"What?" Nick sat up straight and glanced at Greg, who was looking at the ceiling and whistling, "No, no, he's fine."

//Sweetie, he found a body. How can he be fine after that?//

"Greg...told you about that?" Nick asked, feeling confused. Greg wouldn't tell his own mother but had no qualms telling his?

//Well, I sort of pried it out of him. I had called at a bad time, I'm afraid. Elijah was screaming away in the background. I wouldn't let the poor boy go until he told me what was wrong with the baby.//

Nick nodded. That was his mother in a nutshell, "Elijah's not a baby."

//I know that. So why are you calling if everything's okay?//

"I can only call if there's a problem? I'll keep that in mind next time."

//Nicholas Daniel Stokes, don't get snippy.//

"Sorry mama." Nick said. He didn't _feel_ sorry, but it was the quickest way to get his mom to drop his middle name.

Greg watched the conversation between mother and son go on until Nick apologized for his infraction. Not able to take it anymore, he sat up and held out his hand, "Give me the phone."

Nick looked at him, "What?"

"Give me the phone. Come on."

Greg wiggled his fingers in front of Nick's face until the Texan got fed up and said, "Mama, Greg wants to speak with you." He handed the phone to Greg, "This is ridiculous man. We talk more to each others parents then we do our own."

"Speak for yourself." Greg lifted the phone, "Jillian, what your son has been trying to ask is would you be interested in joining us here in Vegas for Thanksgiving?"

//That's a wonderful idea! I'm afraid Bill and I were at loose ends this year. It's Leslie's parents turn to have them and the kids and Lynn is going to Noah's. It was turning out to be a rather bleak holiday once Tasha announced her ex was taking their kids this year as well.//

"Er..." Greg began mentally counting beds as he said, "Tasha's welcome, too." He winced and rubbed his arm when Nick smacked him with the back of his hand. He frowned at his lover who was beginning to glare at him, the cause most likely from him inviting one of his other sisters.

//I'm sure she'd appreciate the invite, but since she's not going to have the kids, she's having a girls night with a few friends at some spa.//

"Right. So, you'll come then?"

//Of course. I'm looking up flights and hotels as we speak.//

Greg could hear the clacking of the keyboard through the phone, "No, Jillian, no hotels. Sammy said you and Bill are free to stay with them in the guest house."

//Will there be room? Sammy gave me a run down on the house but...//

"There will be room, trust me."

//All right. Let me work on some flights and talk things over with Bill. I'll give you two a call later to verify dates and times. Tell Nick I love him.//

"Sounds good and I will. Bye." Greg hung up and leaned against Nick, "Your mother loves you, Nicky-poo."

Nick pushed Greg away from him in mock disgust, trying to hold back his laughter, "Shut up."

Greg chuckled and saluted, "Yes sir."

-----

TBC...

Kinda short, but what can ya do...


	19. Chapter 18 November 2002

Well, here you go. New chapter.

Thanks for all the reviews. I loved them all!

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November

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Nick pulled into the parking lot and shut of the truck. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he gazed out the window at the large supermarket, "There are four day's until Thanksgiving and we're shopping now, why? Do you have any idea how packed this place is going to be?"

Greg pulled the pen from his mouth and looked up from the grocery list in his hand, "Nick, when exactly would we have had time to shop? It's bad enough we had to go last week and buy a freezer for the garage big enough to hold two turkeys and clean out the freezer in the house to accommodate all the meat and sausage for the stuffing."

"Which we had done soon after." Nick added, as he climbed out of the truck, "Greg, we could have done this _last week_."

Greg got out as well and pushed the seat forward to grab Elijah. When they had planned this shopping excursion, they hadn't really planned on taking the toddler with, but their usual babysitters, namely Rayne, Catherine and now Sammy, all had plans for the day, "C'mon sproglet. Looking forward to spending time in the play area?"

Elijah nodded and grinned, "i colow! maybe play wit blocks."

"Gunna do a couple of pictures for me and Nick?" Greg asked, shutting the truck door.

"uh huh. lots and lots."

Nick came around the truck pushing a shopping cart. His cheeks were tinged red and Greg raised an eyebrow when he noticed, "The cart. I got it from an old lady. She got, ah, fresh with me while I was putting her groceries in the back of her car."

Greg snickered as he placed Elijah into the carts seat, "I don't really blame her Nick. That back end of yours has me wanting to get fresh with you all the time too." He started up the parking lot towards the market, leaving a gaping Nick behind. He had reached the sliding double doors by the time Nick caught up to him and was looking through the ad flier, comparing it to his list, "Your mom said she was going to make some pumpkin pies, right?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"Pie filling's on sale and I forgot to put that on the list." He handed the flier to Nick and went inside, aiming for the play area. When he reached it, however, his face fell when caught sight of a few too many little heads and only one harried looking watcher.

"I'm sorry sir." The teenage attendant said, looking at Greg with sympathy, "We're sort of full up. My boss said we couldn't take any more kids until we were down to five."

Greg glanced through the plastic glass at the fifteen kids playing and the lack of walking room. Elijah was small for his age and would either get trampled or lost in that crowd, "All right. Thanks anyway." As he started back to where a confused Nick was waiting, he ran his fingers through Elijah's hair, "Sorry, kiddo. I know you wanted to play. Maybe we can talk Nick into going somewhere with a play area for dinner after we get the groceries put away at home."

Elijah nodded, but didn't seem too enthusiastic about the idea, "okay."

"What's wrong?" Nick asked when they came up to him.

"Play area's full. Let's just get this over with before someone starts getting restless." Greg replied.

Nick agreed and they made quick work of the fresh vegetables and meats. Nick was diligently crossing off items as Greg put them into the cart. When Elijah started squirming, they stopped at the flower and gift shop at the back of the store and bought him an activities pad and a small pen, which they were able to attach to the little loop on the sleeve of his jacket, to keep him occupied.

When they finally reached the bakery section, the last area before the check-outs, Greg paused and looked over Nick's shoulder at the list, "I just thought of something."

"Hmm?" Nick looked up and over at Greg.

"Well, we were planning on watching the parade Thursday morning, right? There's going to be twelve of us, fourteen if papa and nana get up early. We need something for breakfast."

"I hadn't thought of that." Nick lifted his eyes and scanned over the aisle signs, "Like what though?"

Greg shrugged, "I have no idea. We could do donuts but..."

"They'd have to be bought fresh and the chances of that happening Thanksgiving morning are slim. We don't want anything big so pancakes and waffles are out."

Greg bit his lip before his face brightened, "Hey, what about cinnamon rolls? Those ones in the tubes? My parents like them, what about yours?"

"Dad'll eat anything and if mama doesn't she can have cereal or something. We've got enough milk." Nick replied, indicating the three gallons on the bottom rack of the cart.

"All right. I'll run back and get some. Think five will be enough?" Greg asked, as he started for the dairy section.

"Better make it six just in case." Nick rested against the cart and watched Elijah draw, his right hand holding the small book against the railing as his left scribbled away, "What are you working on, little man?" he asked.

"dust colowin. all one colow, dough."

"I see that." Nick nodded and looked over the turkey that was slowly turning purple, "You know, that reminds me. Maddox had a school project that you and Trixie might enjoy doing. We can even display them on the buffet in the dining room."

Elijah peered up at Nick, his brown eyes almost impossibly wide, "what pwoject?"

"What's a project?" Nick asked, wondering if that's what Elijah meant. When Elijah nodded Nick said, "Well, you know the arts and crafts you do at daycare? A project is just another name for them."

"oh. what maddocks do?"

Nick reached out and took Elijah's left hand and spread it out over the turkey on the activities pad, "He and his classmates took their hands and traced them." He copied the move with the pen, "After that, they turned the hand prints into turkeys. See? Your thumb was resting on the turkey's head and your fingers were by the feathers on its back."

"cool." Elijah breathed out after he removed his hand from the paper.

"What's cool?" Greg asked, as he walked up to the cart and dropped the tubes of cinnamon rolls on top of the already large pile of food.

"daddy look! made turkey fwom hand!" Elijah said, tugging on Greg's shirt sleeve and pointing down.

Greg noticed the over emphasized 'R' when Elijah said turkey, but decided to ignore that for now, "How about that. Looks like a turkey all right." Greg smiled in amusement while wondering what was so exciting about a hand print over a half colored turkey.

"like maddocks. gots ta show twixie." Elijah said, kicking his foot out, which started it bouncing against the cart, "we go now?"

Greg nodded and Nick started pushing the cart towards the check-out. Both men stopped walking once they hit the area and looked over the long lines in dismay, "May be a bit till you can talk to Trixie, sproglet. Looks like lots of other people are ready to leave too."

-----

Greg scratched the bridge of his nose as he looked over the assembled pile of recipes. Unlike last year, his mother was making him cook most of the meal himself. Well, not completely by himself. He had Nick after all. She just brushed him off when he asked, claiming she was on vacation and that while she didn't mind making small meals for them as a family, she was not going to cook for the huge mass that had conglomerated around them for the holiday.

It didn't help that she had talked Jillian into doing the same, even if she was still willing to do the pies. After they had finished shopping two days earlier, he and Nick had spent over an hour organizing all the food into order of preparation as well as deciding what could be cooked the night before and re-heated for the dinner.

"All right. So we have the casseroles, salads, and pies. What about the potatoes?" Nick asked, motioning his head to the three large bags of Idaho's and two bags of sweet potatoes, leaning against the wall in the pantry, which were visible through the opened door.

Greg looked at Nick, an affronted look on his face, "Potatoes should be fresh, Nick. Well, the mashed should anyway. The sweet potatoes are just going into casseroles so they can be prepared tonight."

Nick nodded and grabbed that recipe, putting it to the side, "Are we going to have room in the fridge G? There are going to be a lot of dishes."

"Well, most of the stuff in the fridge are going into the dishes we're cooking tonight, so I don't think there will be much of a problem. If we have to, we'll just bring whatever we end up taking out into work tonight. Let everyone pig out."

"Yeah, cause I'm sure they'd enjoy eating three-day-old Chinese and pickles." Nick said, grabbing another easy looking recipe.

Greg rolled his eyes, "I think we can throw out the Chinese and those pickles are new. We are not bringing them into work."

"Fine, fine. Let's just get started. We're making two of everything so that'll make things easier with temperatures and timing."

"Yeah and it helps that we have three ovens."

Nick paused as he walked into the pantry. He turned around and after looking around the kitchen said, "Greg, have I ever mentioned that this kitchen is overly excessive?"

Greg, who had been walking to the only oven/stove combo at the end of the kitchen, glanced over his shoulder with a startled look on his face, "No, but I'm not the one who built this house, remember? I would have been perfectly content with one oven."

"And maybe one dishwasher instead of two?" Nick muttered, pulling stuff off of the shelf for the casseroles he was making.

"I heard that."

About half an hour due before they had to be to work, most of the dishes were cooked and stored in a practically full refrigerator. Greg looked over the list of food items for the next day as he wiped down the island, nodding to himself at each completed dish. Sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, a whipped cream salad, they had cleaned and prepared the vegetables for the rest of the salads, and the cucumber salad was ready.

Greg dropped the rag down on the counter next to the sink just as Rayne walked in, "Wow, it smells fantastic in here." She said, dropping her purse onto the clean island.

Greg smiled, "Thanks. Are you sure you're willing to stay up tonight and thaw the turkeys? It was a lot to ask and..."

"Greg, hush. I don't mind. Your mother as well as Mrs. Stokes offered to stay up with me. They intend on spending some time sleeping _after_ the parade tomorrow, just like I am."

"I wondered where they had taken off to. I bet they went to take naps." Greg began filling the sinks with room-temp water as Nick lugged in one of the turkeys.

"Rayne! I figured you'd be at your daughters again tonight." Nick said as he placed the bird into the sink, checking to make sure it was fully covered by the water.

"No, not tonight. They had an early dinner with Chris's parents and brothers. I think Lauren just wants to get tips on cooking her first large meal for me. She sounded a tad nervous on the phone earlier."

"I don't blame her. We have three ovens and we almost went crazy. Its a shame things are only half done so far for all the work we did." Nick said, walking back to the garage.

Rayne raised an eyebrow and tucked her hair behind her ear, "Were things really that bad?"

Greg shook his head, "Despite my mothers claims that she wasn't going to lift a finger for this meal, she still attempted to butt in. Jillian wasn't as forceful but she was worried we'd some how botch up her casserole recipe."

"I wasn't that bad, Greg. Honestly." Jillian walked in and smiled at Rayne, "Tell me the truth, just how good are you at decorating with dough?" She had been asking the same question all afternoon to Jan, who finally caved and informed her that Rayne enjoyed pie decorating.

Rayne laughed, "I'm not an expert but you can tell what a design is."

"I think that'll be good enough." Jan walked in and gave Rayne a hug, "Oh, I was afraid I wasn't going to see much of you this trip. I was so glad when you offered to come up and help tonight."

Nick walked back into the kitchen then and had to stop when he almost ran down all three women, "Excuse me, ladies, this turkey's cold." He said, peering over the bird at his mother and Jan, both of whom were standing on either side of him.

Both women giggled and stepped closer to the island, allowing Nick to make his way past to get to the sink on the other side, "Sorry, Nick. We didn't realize you were out there."

"Sure, mama." He set the turkey in the opposite side of the sink and smiled at Greg as his lover rubbed his shoulder before turning to his mom, "You sure you don't mind putting the leaves in the table and setting it?"

Jillian smiled and shook her head, "Of course not, Nick. We'll also remember to set up the kids table." She added, when she saw Greg start to open his mouth. She smiled when it snapped shut after she spoke, "You're all right for dinner tonight?"

Both men rolled their eyes and Nick walked to the fridge, pulling out a plastic bag that had been stuffed into the door, "Bagels. Nothing too filling. Don't worry, mama." Both men bid their good-nights to the women and went out into the mudroom.

They quickened their steps towards the garage as "Don't worry, he says." floated to them in both mothers snickering voices.

The night passed quickly and it wasn't long before Greg found himself leaning against his locker in the locker room, tugging on his hair as he waited for Nick to finish changing, "Are we going to be able to get any sleep today?" He asked as Nick walked back to his locker.

"Yeah. Sammy said she'll take over kitchen duties after the parade, so we can sleep then. We'll get the turkeys stuffed and in the ovens for nine, cook the rolls, eat and enjoy the parade with our families and then sleep. Thank God."

Greg snorted out a laugh as they started out of the locker room, "Speaking of rolls, I'm glad we got them. A bagel does not a meal make."

"Yeah. I spent the last two hours trying to keep myself from going to the vending machines. I think I went through a full pack of gum just trying to stop my stomach from growling too much." Nick added. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket as they reached the parking lot. He tugged on Greg's hair, "I'll see you at home."

Greg glanced around and when he realized they were alone, goosed Nick, laughing when the Texan jumped a good foot in the air, "You too." He climbed into his car and sped off, laughing the full ride home.

Greg walked into the kitchen and nearly fell over as two toddlers ran to him and attached themselves to his legs, "You couldn't wait for Nick to get home and do this to him?"

"hi daddy." Elijah said, grinning up at him.

"hi, unca greg!" Trixie chimed in.

He tousled both heads of hair and wobbled further into the kitchen, his movements impaired by the attachments standing on his feet, "See, now when Nick comes in, you two should go do this to him too, okay?"

Both toddlers nodded enthusiastically, "k!"

Greg looked over at Sammy, who was standing barefoot at the island, wearing a pair of jeans and a holiday sweater, chopping away at onions and celery, "Having fun yet? And where are our mothers?"

"Tons. Mama and Jan have both crashed. They were ecstatic when I got here, both of them claiming that pulling all-nighters was not like it used to be and asking how in the world you and Nick do it every night." Sammy said, "The water for the turkeys only has to be changed once more, right about now actually, and I figure the stuffing will be ready after that last half hour."

Before Greg had a chance to say anything Nick came in, his face and neck still red from Greg's ass grab, a fact that Sammy picked up on right away, "Why are you so flushed?" she asked, pausing in her chopping to look her brother over.

Nick didn't answer and instead reached down to great the two enthusiastic toddlers welcoming him home. He started towards Greg, walking in much the same way Greg had when he had had the three and four-year-old attached to his legs except with a slightly smoother gait, and raised his hands threateningly, "Did you know Grissom walked out just after you did that? He was concerned that I was getting sick. I had to explain that I was fine and someone was just getting _fresh_ with me in the middle of the parking lot."

Greg blinked, his face the picture of innocence, "Gee, Nick, the way you're talking makes it sound like that happens a lot. Maybe you should wear longer shirts. It might dissuade some people from doing it."

"Not the one from at work. I have a feeling a longer shirt wouldn't do any good." Nick responded, voice tight with agitation. Greg wasn't worried though. The Texas drawl hadn't deepened so he knew whatever embarrassment Nick was going through would pass over soon.

Sammy snorted, "Oh, Greg, you didn't."

"Maybe, maybe not. Nobody can prove anything." He rolled up his sleeves and changed the water for the birds before looking at the female brunette, "Need any help?"

"Not at the moment, no. I'm almost done with this. Maybe you could start frying up the meat? That's going to have to be done in two shifts since there's so much of it." She pulled another onion to her and looked at Nick, "The kids mentioned something about hand turkey's? I'm guessing you meant like Maddox's?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah. Where are you going with this?"

"Since you brought it up and there's nothing for you to do food wise, why don't you help them make some."

"Why not." Nick shrugged and looked down, "Is that why you two decided to attack me?"

Elijah shook his head and bounced on Nick's feet, making the older man glad he had left his boats on, "no. did dat to daddy too."

"Oh, well, that's okay then."

"Supplies are on the table." Sammy said, starting to chop once more.

"Right."

Half an hour later, Nick was pulling the birds out of their wrappers and cleaning them out, making sure to be extra thorough. He held up the two bags of turkey extras with a grimace, "Sammy, we're not pulling a gramma are we? I know mama likes it, but I would like to eat the stuffing this year."

Sammy laughed and looked at Greg, who wrinkled his nose in response, "Pitch um'. I never really cared for the stuffing when it was made like that either."

"Thanks." He tossed the two bags into the garbage under the sink and went about placing the two birds into their cooking bags before resting them in the roasting pans, "All right, we ready to stuff?"

Sammy shrugged and looked at Greg who was still mixing the stuffing together, "Greg?"

"Just about." He tasted a spoonful before adding a bit more sage, "All right. We're good."

With two kids resting on stools and watching avidly, the three adults set to stuffing, first with spoons and then with hands when the spoons proved to be pretty much useless. Once that was completed, Nick washed his hands and started getting the breakfast rolls ready while Sammy and Greg placed small chunks of butter on various places on the birds to keep the meat juicy. They both closed up the bag of their respective turkeys and placed them in the double ovens on the wall by the fridge. Those were why Nick and Greg had decided on two medium/large birds instead of one huge one. They had wanted to use the larger oven for the bread rolls and re-heating when the time came.

"All right, cinnamon rolls should done by nine, just in time for the parade to start." Nick looked at the two toddlers, "Let's go find a place to put your turkeys in the dining room."

"k!" Both Elijah and Trixie scrambled for the table and then ran full speed to the dining room, an amused Nick following at a much more sedate pace.

-----

TBC...


	20. Chapter 19 November 2002

This has to be my shortest chapter out of all of them, excluding the prologue and epilogue. Sadly, when I wrote this story, I kept it all together and did the breakdown to separate them after it was finished. It wasn't until then that I noticed this chapters length. I added the last section just tonight, which is why it took so long to get out. I apologize for that by the way.

Thank you for all your fabulous reviews. I loved them. -grin-

**Warning: Sex to be had this chapter!**

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November

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Greg rested his chin on Nick's shoulder and snuggled in as close as he could. The alarm had already gone off twice before Nick punched the off button hard enough for Greg to add _new alarm clock_ to the mental list he was building in preparation for a day of 'Black Friday' shopping with the three mothers in the house. He had managed to snag the night off, thanks to Tanya from swing shift offering to stay his shift, her plans having fallen through at the last minute. That was a good thing because Cindy had balked at the thought of going in to work on Thanksgiving night. Nick, unfortunately, still had to work that night. Greg planned on getting all his Christmas shopping for the Texan in then. Hopefully.

Nick tightened his arm around Greg's back and sighed heavily as he turned onto his side to face Greg, "I don't want to get up, but that smell is driving me crazy."

"Smells good, doesn't it? I think we did good."

Nick leaned in and pressed a kiss to Greg's lips, allowing it to deepen before pulling away, "Yeah, but there's still a few more things to do before the turkeys are done and we can finally eat."

Greg glanced at the clock over Nick's shoulder, "How long do you think we have before Elijah comes bursting in?"

Nick ran his hands up Greg's back and leaned in to lick the pale neck, "Not long enough to do what I want to do..." He trailed off and leaned back to look in Greg's eyes, "Shower?"

Greg's smile was decidedly devilish as he answered, "Shower."

Both men scrambled out of bed and raced for the bathroom, laughing as Nick slammed the door shut and pressed Greg up against it, "Geez, Nick, in a hurry?"

Nick nipped at Greg's jaw line as his fingers danced teasingly around the elastic band of Greg's boxers, "Mm, let's just get in the shower G."

"Would if you'd get off me!" Greg laughed and pushed at Nick's biceps ineffectively as Nick braced himself long enough to place a suckling kiss to Greg's adams apple. Once he managed that, he allowed himself to be pushed away from Greg and towards the large shower stall.

Once they had the water going and underwear removed, Nick picked up where he left off at the bathroom door. This time, Greg was a much more active participant and by the time the water started to cool, Nick had Greg lifted off the ground with his legs wrapped around Nick's waist as he pressed the lab-rat into the shower wall for added balance.

"God...do this..." Greg gasped as Nick shifted him and the familiar shock waves began their traveling along the nerves of his body, "more often." He groaned and grabbed Nick's hair with one hand, pulling the Texans forehead off his shoulder so he could kiss him. Tongues delved deep and danced together, Greg making sure Nick kept _away_ from the roof of his mouth.

Nick pulled away for air and trailed kisses down Greg's throat as his fingers tightened their grip on the hips he was grasping, "Do what?" he asked, changing direction to bite Greg's earlobe.

"Geez, Nick. Oh..." Greg tilted his head to the side to give his lover more access, "Shower sex...hot..."

Nick chuckled and began to work them both in earnest, one of Greg's hands sliding down to join his in working on bringing him to climax. Nick managed to hold on to his control until Greg had resumed breathing before he let go with a grunt, his teeth sinking into the soft skin at the base of Greg's neck.

After a moment of heavy breathing, he lifted his head and relaxed the grip of his fingers. He raised an eyebrow as Greg started giggling. It was a sound he had never heard Greg make before but it was decidedly enduring, "What?"

"You thought it was stupid to keep condoms hidden in the shower caddy."

Nick urged Greg to drop his legs before pulling out and disposing of the protection. He stepped back into the stall and turned the water heat back up before replying to his still giggling lover, "What do I know? Come here, I'll wash your hair."

"Only if I can do your back." Greg said, wiggling his eyebrows before he snorted and started laughing again.

"Are you drunk?" Nick asked, grabbing the shampoo bottle, "'Cause you are awfully giddy."

Greg shook his head with a sigh and let it tilt back so Nick could start massaging in the shampoo, "I don't think there's any blood left in my head."

"If having sex while standing up is going to do this to you, maybe we should limit ourselves." Nick said and urged Greg under the shower spray, gently washing away the suds before they could reach Greg's eyes.

"Nah, you like me like this. Admit it. You think I'm funny."

Nick ran his thumb along Greg's jaw line, a move that had Greg opening his eyes to meet Nick's, "I love you high on life like this and I'll do whatever I can to keep you this way too."

Greg's eyes softened and he leaned in to kiss Nick, "I love you." He sighed out as he wrapped his arms around the strong neck.

"Love you too."

Their shower went fairly quickly after that and Nick even took the time to help Greg blow-dry his hair afterwards. He went off to get dressed, however, when his lover forbid him to go anywhere near his locks with the mousse and gel. Greg met up in with him in the bedroom soon after and they went downstairs together, taking deep breaths of the fantastic smelling turkeys.

The house was oddly quiet as they made their way into the kitchen, but soon found out why when they reached it. Everybody had congregated out on the outdoor patio and were laughing and talking as they watched the kids play in the yard.

Greg sighed and leaned against Nick as arm's slipped around his waist. They stood there watching the mingling families before Greg smiled, "You know, they look like they're having fun out there. Maybe we could sneak back upstairs and have some more fun of our own."

Nick nuzzled his nose into the hair behind Greg's ear, "You still not satisfied?"

Greg turned around and caught Nick's lips in a kiss, "Me? I'm a perpetual horn dog. Sara and Catherine could tell you that."

"They don't need to. Got the proof of that just fine." Nick said and pulled away, "As much as I would love to drag you back upstairs, we have now been noticed."

Sammy pulled the door open and stuck her head inside, "What took you two so long? I thought you were going to be up at three?"

Greg smiled and stepped away from Nick, "We got, um, sidetracked. Sorry."

Sammy looked them over and smirked, "I'm sure you did. How about you two checking the turkeys? They should be done soon."

"All right." Both men walked over to the double ovens and peered inside, "Oh yeah, they're done. The little thermometer thing's popped up on this one." Nick said, indicating the turkey in the top oven.

Greg nodded in agreement, "This one too." He stepped back and went to start pulling casseroles out of the fridge while Nick pulled out the turkeys.

"What's the temperature needed for the rolls?" Nick asked, looking over at Greg.

Greg pulled a package out of the door and rattled off the number before setting the package on the island. Once all the things were out that needed to be warmed, he shut the fridge and went down to turn on the other oven, "At least they got the potatoes going." he said, glancing into one of the two large pots sitting on the burners.

"That's a good thing." Nick said, pulling out a couple of cookie sheets.

It wasn't long before everyone had moved inside and began helping. They had the food on the table in no time and when Nick and Greg brought in the two beautifully browned turkeys and set them on the buffet, everyone clapped. Before Nick could start carving the first, however, Maddox piped up about giving thanks.

They went around the kids table first, all the adults smiling when both Elijah and Trixie echoed the same sentiments about being together again. The adults were similar as well, being thankful for everyones health and being together. When they reached Greg, he paused and looked at Elijah, before looking around the table, "I'm thankful for Elijah and all the unconditional love he gives and I'm also thankful for my parents and grandparents and all the help they've given. For new friends and family," He grinned at Sammy and Kieran, "and I'm thankful that one of the most important people in my life is alive and healing." He looked at Nick, who smiled at him.

Nick's parents knew about Crane but only in the vaguest of details so everyone at the table knew who Greg was talking about, "I'm thankful that my parents could be here today as well as Sammy and her brood. I'm also thankful for the two men in my life who are always keeping me guessing." Nick smirked at Greg's pout, "All right, can I carve the turkey now?"

He was motioned to go ahead and soon everyone had full plates, Greg and Sammy pausing long enough to fill the children's and cut the turkey to bite sized pieces for them. Everyone practically inhaled their first plate and went back for seconds before slowing down long enough to actually enjoy the food.

Jillian was the last to finish and she pushed her plate away with a happy sigh, "That was fabulous and it was so nice not having to cook and not to worry about clean-up afterwards."

Nick, Greg and Sammy all winced at her comment. The kitchen _was_ a mess and they also had to pack up the leftovers, "I take that to mean I'm going to miss kick-off." Nick said, piling his plate on top of Greg's as he referred to that night's football game.

"Nah, pancho." Bill said, reaching for the last roll in the basket, "You can still watch kick-off...from the kitchen."

-----

A knocking at the door jam had Nick pushing himself up onto his arms and glaring at the door, "What?"

"Still not a morning person, I see."

Nick glanced at the clock over a still sleeping Greg, "It's three o'clock in the afternoon, mama."

Jillian snorted and stepped a foot into the room, "Hardly matters. You still just woke up."

"Actually, I've been awake for about half an hour." Nick cast a fond look at Greg before looking back at his mother, "What do you want, anyway?"

"Your father and Dave are arguing about the outside lights that Greg bought this morning. It would be helpful if the two of you could get up and come mediate."

Nick felt Greg shift and looked over to see a bleary, half opened eye peeking over an arm and trained on Jillian, "They're ignoring you and mom, aren't they."

Jillian threw her arms up into the air in exasperation, "Yes! Well, me anyway. Jan's too busy trying to keep Olaf from climbing the ladder."

Greg shook his head as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, "I don't know why she tries. He does home repairs and stuff on his and nana's house all the time. It's not as if she doesn't know that."

"Olaf is rather spry for his age." Jillian said in agreement as she turned to walk back out of the room, "Your mother just worries. I'll see you two downstairs. Soon, please." After throwing them a knowing look over her shoulder, she shut the door behind her.

Greg shifted his head so he was looking at Nick, "You'd think she didn't trust us."

"Well, we were a bit late coming down yesterday." Nick replied with a laugh. He leaned over and kissed Greg before pushing himself over so he could sit up, "Might as well get moving."

Greg's response was to groan and shove his head under the pillow.

With the thought that Jillian might come back in at only moment spurred them into action quickly and they were out of their room in under ten minutes. It was weird to be woken up and not be greeted by a bouncy toddler, but Rayne had taken Elijah to Lauren's that morning to play with Summer, Lauren's daughter, while they did some minor housework.

Both silently took in the scene before them as they stepped out onto the front porch. Jillian had been right about their fathers arguing, but from what they could see it was mostly in jest. Jan was standing next to a ladder that was leaning against the house, shaking a finger at Olaf who was standing three rungs up with hooks and a hammer in his hand.

"All this over lights. Kind of amusing."

They turned to see Krista sitting there in one of the living room chairs, knitting away at what looked to be a scarf. She smiled at both of them before nodding her head at their fathers, "Dave found someone who enjoys bickering. Enjoying it very much."

Greg nodded, "Nana, who brought the chair out for you?"

"Dave. Hope you not mind. I find it more comfortable than deck chairs you own."

Greg shook his head as he shrugged, "It's fine. I'm going to go see if I can get mom to leave papa alone."

Nick watched Greg leave the porch and suddenly felt at a loss. He didn't see the point of helping his mother with his dad and Dave nor did he want to get on Jan's bad side by helping Greg. He turned back to Krista, "Would you like anything?"

Krista shook her head, "No, no, I am fine. Have water right here." She patted the arm of the chair and Nick saw the cap of a water bottle sticking up next to her leg, "Go help."

"All right." Nick went down to his parents and Dave, "What are you arguing about?"

Bill turned to him, "Where to put the lights. Greg bought both icicle lights as well as regular white ones and we can't agree what should go where."

Nick looked over his shoulder at the front of the house. Taking in the arches as well as some of the little hidden nooks above the porch and between the main windows of the second story he said, "Well, how about we hang the icicles from the front porch and line the main windows with the regular lights."

Dave laughed and clapped Nick on the shoulder, "Glad you agree. The regular lights would outline the doorways of the decks nicely."

Nick wasn't done, "I want to hang lights above the porte cochere too since the porch pretty much starts right off of it. Oh, and maybe the icicles around my den window since that area is rounded."

Bill looked down at the boxes piled around their feet, "There will be enough to do that."

"What did you want to do?" Nick asked his father, wondering what it was he had disagreed with Dave about.

"I was thinking about outlining the three triangle points, but I'm thinking now that that would be overdoing it. Not to mention it would be a bit difficult getting to that high one tucked away up there."

"Always have to go the difficult route." Jillian said, adding her own input, "Go with Nick's plan. He is the one that lives here after all."

All three men nodded and set to work unpacking lights in preparation of testing them out. Once satisfied that all were in working condition they set to work. Nick stood back as Greg climbed the ladder to put the lights above his den windows. He could feel his heart work its way into his throat and stay there as Greg balanced himself on the roof of the porch.

Greg managed to hang the lights without slipping and Nick let out a sigh of relief once his lover was back on solid ground. It was around this time that he noticed Olaf had disappeared, "Where'd your grandfather go?"

Greg looked around with a frown, "I have no idea. Wasn't he just here?"

"I'm not really sure. I kept my eyes on you the whole time you were on the roof." Nick admitted.

"Worry wart." Greg muttered in amusement, still looking around for his wayward papa.

"Ah, G, I found Olaf."

Greg's head snapped around to look at Nick before following his line of sight. Olaf was up on the balcony off of the playroom, hanging the lights around the doorway and the two pedestal beams next to it, "Well," Greg said after a moment, "At least mom can't yell at him for that."

TBC...

Well, there you are. Short...some of you wanted more family interaction so you got that. I hope it was all to your liking.


	21. Chapter 20 December 2002

Well, here we are. The next chapter. I am sorry about the amount of time it took to get this out, but I have a few commissions that I had to get started. I apologize profusely for the delay. I also want to apologize for the errors in here. There are a few spacing problems that fanfic won't let me fix either. Sorry.

Thanks for all of your reviews. I loved them all!

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December

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Greg turned off the TV with a snort. He could only imagine the look on Nick's face at the moment. The Cowboys had actually lost the game and he was sure Kieran and Warrick were enjoying that fact immensely, neither man being particularly large Dallas fans. He rubbed his face and turned back to the task he had been diligently working on for the past half hour. Re-arranging the family room furniture.

Normally, he would decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving for Christmas, but he really didn't have enough decorations and they hadn't had time to shop. Not to mention the small argument that ensued over whether to get a fake tree or a real one. It had taken nearly two days to decide to go with a real tree and by then the weekend had passed with them not getting much of anything accomplished.

So now, while Elijah was with Sammy while she did some shopping and Nick down in Texas until the following afternoon, he decided to get a head start on the furniture aspect as well as put out the few things he did have. He had managed to clear the space in front of the windows, where the tree was going, and still have the couches facing the fireplace and TV.

The small table and chairs from the arched window area were in the hallway, waiting to go upstairs to the storage room until January, and the plants from the area had been moved into the dining room. He went into the kitchen and bent over to grab one of the two boxes sitting by the door.

It was too heavy to lift and he wound up dragging it across the room. He was glad he was the only one home. There was no one around to get a good laugh out of his wiggling ass and awkward shuffling. He let the box rest behind the couch and as he gasped for air, he just decided to leave it there. It wouldn't kill him to walk around the couch to grab the items out of it.

The land line rang just as he was heading for the second box and he detoured off to the right to answer it. A glance at the caller ID proved a fruitless gesture, the name and number both unfamiliar to him. He debated for a second on whether to pick it up or not, but by the third ring just decided to, figuring it could be something important, "Sanders." He answered after picking up.

//Hello, Gregory.//

Greg's eyes widened. There was only one person outside of his mother and nana, and that was only if they were mad at him, who called him Gregory and damned if it was the one person he never wanted to speak to, "Blythe." He said, his fingers tightening on the cordless handset, "What can I do for you."

//I am calling to inform you that arrangements have been put into place for me to gain custody of Emerson.//

"Er, who's Emerson?" Greg asked, confused.

//My..._our_...// The pause between her 'my and our' was noticeable, even though Greg figured it wasn't supposed to be//son. Emerson Willard the fifth. I have also made note that his last name is to be changed as well.//

"Blythe, has it not occurred to you that it states that his name is _Elijah Henrik Sanders_ on his birth certificate? I named him because when you called me about him, you were in the middle of putting him up for adoption! He had no name!" Greg exclaimed, though his teeth were clenched.

//Do not be ridiculous, Gregory. Everything can be changed. My lawyer will be in contact with further details.// She paused//It wouldn't due to fight, dear. They...I don't have it in me to lose.//

Greg winced as she hung up and didn't notice as the handset slipped through his nerveless fingers. His first instinct was to find his son and just hold him. He made it half-way up the stairs before he remembered Elijah was with Sammy. He sunk down on to the carpeted step and wrapped his arms around his knees.

He wasn't sure how long he had actually sat there on the steps, but the sudden blaring of Linkin Park's _In the End_, his ring tone of the week, brought him out of the funk he had fallen into. He stood up and rubbed his face before going back down into the living room and grabbing his cell. He looked down at the caller ID. Nick, "Hello?"

//God, G, did you watch the game? I can't believe the Cowboys lost! Now I'm stuck in the car with these two inconsiderate pricks who are laughing at me and making jokes. It's getting unbearable.//

"You poor thing." Greg said, although his small attempt at a joke fell flat.

Nick noticed right away that his tone didn't match his words//Greg? What's wrong? Elijah's not hurt is he?//

Greg let a hollow laugh out when he heard the worried exclamations of Warrick and Kieran in the background. It didn't quell the helpless feeling he had, but it was nice knowing there were a lot of people out there who cared about his son, "He's fine Nick."

//Then what's wrong?//

"What makes you think somethings wrong?"

//God damn it Greg, will you just tell me?//

The sudden silence on the other end of the phone from Nick as well as Warrick and Kieran was enough to cause Greg to break down. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, "She wants him back, Nick."

//Who wants who back?//

"Blythe...Elijah..." Greg sniffed and sat down on the couch, "When are you coming home?"

//Greg, who's Blythe?// Nick asked, softly.

Greg could tell that Nick was upset and that he already knew who Blythe was. It was the way he asked the simple question, his voice tight and the drawl evident when he said her name, "She's Elijah's mom."

//That's what I thought. As soon as we get to the hotel, we're going to pack and head to the airport.// Nick replied and Greg could hear the two other men agreeing//I'll get home as soon as possible, okay?//

Greg sniffed, "Okay."

//Love you, babe.//

"You too." Greg hung up and leaned back into the cushions. He fingered his phone and soon had it picked up and half dialed before deciding he didn't want Sammy to get into some kind of accident trying to bring Elijah home. He erased her number and punched in his moms, deciding to find out if Blythe had called them for his _unlisted_ phone number.

He jiggled his leg while waiting for her to pick up. When she didn't, he glanced at the clock and groaned at the time before hanging up. It was ten pm. They were probably already sleeping and Sammy really should have been back by now. His thoughts trailed off as he heard keys in the front door and the giggling voice of his son talking to Trixie. He sniffed and wiped at his face again, hoping that his worry wasn't noticeable.

"hi daddy!"

Greg smiled and stood up. He then let out a wholehearted laugh when he saw his son. The poor kid was decked out in red and green from head to toe, making him look like a little Christmas elf, and was carrying three shopping bags that were trailing about two centimeters above the ground, "Hey sproglet! What've you got in the bags?"

Elijah clasped them to his chest and turned his upper body away while still looking at him through now glowering eyes, "you no look! dey pwesents!"

"All right. I won't look." When Elijah's eyes narrowed even more, Greg held up a hand, "Promise!"

"k!" Elijah started up the stairs, "I hide, no peek."

Sammy laughed as Trixie rushed to help him carry the bags up the stairs, "He insisted on shopping for you and Nick. Already knew what he wanted to get for you and wanted to get it done _now _before he forgot."

"No hints?"

Sammy shook her head, "Nope, sorry. Listen, I'm going to run Trix home and give her her bath. I'll see you in a half hour when you drop Elijah off."

Greg nodded and went upstairs, sending the dark haired little girl down to her mom before turning his attention to Elijah, who was sitting on his bed and doing his best to whistle innocently, "Don't worry my little mouse, I'm not going to peek." Greg said, sitting down next to the Christmas decked boy.

"i knows." Elijah said. He climbed onto Greg's lap and wrapped his arms around his fathers neck, "you okay?'

Greg smiled and wrapped his own arms around Elijah's back, squeezing lightly as he leaned down to blow a raspberry on the soft neck in front of him, "I'm fine babe. You up to a bath before going over to Aunt Sammy's?"

Elijah leaned back against Greg's arms and looked at him before nodding his head, which sent auburn curls tumbling onto his forehead. He must have sensed Greg wasn't in the mood to deal with much, despite his claims to be okay, because it was the first night since getting his tubes put in that he didn't put up a fight about using his ear plugs.

Greg was reluctant to let Elijah out of his sight and the time passed quickly. It only felt like five minutes had passed before he found himself driving to work. He kept wondering if he should just call in, but after missing so many nights already, he didn't want to put anyone out.

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he still was, when Catherine met him at the doors to the lab. The expression on her face told him immediately that Warrick had called her, most likely the second Nick had gotten off the phone with him. He thought back to his brief interactions with Sammy from earlier, but she had not given any indication to knowing about the phone call.

As soon as Catherine saw him, she was pulling him into her arms and that proved to be the last straw. He broke down and started sobbing, burying his head into her neck. She rubbed her hands along his back and ushered him slowly up the walk to the bench that ran along the path.

She sat them down and continued to hold him as he cried. When Warrick had called her to let her know that they were catching a midnight flight back to Vegas, she practically had to pull a tooth to find out why and she was sure that all three men's ears were still ringing from her yelling at him through the phone.

Nick had taken the phone then and told him what had happened and she told him that she was glad she was informed. There was no way Greg was going to make it through shift without some sort of support.

She heard the bench creak behind Greg and she glanced up through her hair to find a concerned Sara looking at her in worry and confusion while also running a hand along Greg's back soothingly. She shook her head softly in a not now sort of way and hoped that Sara didn't take it personal. She wasn't sure if Greg was ready to have the whole world know yet.

When Greg finally managed to pull himself together, Sara was inside and it was nearly a twenty minutes into shift. Both of them stood up and with Catherine's arm around his waist, she led him to the locker room, "I'll let you know if I have to go out on scene or not. This way you'll know if I'm in the building when you need me."

"If you're not?" Greg asked, his voice small.

"Greg, it would help maybe if you told someone? What about Bobby? Or Jacqui? You've gotten pretty close to her since she moved back onto third." Catherine offered, sitting down on the locker room bench next to him.

Greg gave a small chuckle, "So nice of you to keep up on the inner friendships of us lab-rat's Cath."

Catherine reached up and tugged on one of Greg's spikes, "You listen to me, _lab-rat_. You may annoy the living hell out of us at times, me and Sara especially, but you're still our friend and we do care about you. I know it only seems like this closeness came from you dating Nick, but Greg, we've had a soft spot for you ever since you started here. I think if it was anyone else, neither Grissom or I would tolerate half the shit you put us through."

"Whoa, Cath, getting a bit deep there." Greg said with a small smile, "I get what your saying and it means a lot. I'll...maybe I'll tell Bobby. He knows about Blythe."

Catherine leaned back and looked at him, before shaking her head, "I'll tell him as soon as I get my assignment slip. You just go to your lab and get some music going and clean up after swing. Take your mind off of it for as long as you can. Like I said, I'll stop by if I leave, if not you have my pager number."

Greg sighed and knew he wasn't going to be able to talk her out of it, "All right. Thanks." He said. He stood up and gave her one last hug before pulling off his jacket and replacing it with his lab coat. He followed her out of the locker room and went down the hall to the DNA lab while she turned right and went into the break room.

He sat down and powered up the equipment before digging through the drawer for a CD. He wasn't really in the mood to listen to music, but Catherine was right. He needed to take his mind off of Blythe unless he wanted to start bawling again. Actually, what he needed to do was call his freaking lawyer and find out if what she was doing was even possible. She had wanted to put him up for adoption for heavens sake, why would a judge allow someone like that to take him _back_?

Greg found one of his Manson CD's and put that in, although he kept the volume down below its normal full blast. He cleaned the machines and the counters, put away reference books and loose papers, doing the same things he spent the first two hours of shift doing when it was slow and the CSI's were on scene collecting his work.

He finished fairly quickly, since the swing shift tech had managed to mostly pick up after herself for a change, and wondered what the hell he was going to do until he got samples.

It was then that Bobby knocked on the lab door, a solemn look on his normally laughing face and holding two cups of coffee. Greg took the offered coffee and after a sip realized it was from his own stash, "Bobby..." He practically growled at the first Texan who made himself at home in his life.

"I didn't make it. I just deliver." Bobby replied, holding up his hands, "So, Ms. Willows told me what happened. How you doin'? Honestly?"

Greg shrugged and cupped his hands around his mug of coffee, "I dunno. I've felt sorta numb since she called. Only cried once."

Bobby nodded, but didn't say anything. Both of them knew he didn't have to. While Bobby may not know exactly what Greg was going through at that moment, it wasn't all that hard for him to imagine.

Bobby sat with him until samples started coming in and Greg had to admit that he was feeling a bit hurt that Catherine never stopped by to tell him she was leaving. Until that point, he hadn't really thought on how close he had let himself get to the other CSI's and it was a worrying thing if he was going to freak out about her not telling him. She might not have even left the building. After all, she did say there was a chance she wouldn't and to just page her.

He was tempted to do just that when Sara came in with a whole mess load of samples, "Multiple rape scene." was all that she'd say when she passed them over.

Greg just nodded and set to work, glad for the opportunity to do something more constructive than sitting and brooding. Catherine walked into the lab some time later, a frown set on her face and her arms crossed. Greg glanced at her before continuing to work, so close to finishing Sara's samples that he could practically taste it.

"Don't you ignore me, Greg Sanders."

"I'm not, Cath. Just let me finish this." He said and was glad when she did. She didn't leave the lab, but she was patient enough to wait until he had printed his results and paged Sara, "All right, what's up."

Catherine dropped down on the stool next to him, left in the lab from when Bobby had been in by him, "You didn't page me."

Greg sighed, "To be honest, Catherine, I thought you left to go on scene. With both Nick and Warrick off, well, all hands on deck, you know?"

"Yeah, usually, but with two of us gone, Grissom has to call in at least one of the weekend guys. Anyway, that's really not why I came in. There's someone here to see you and Grissom said to take a dinner break, since you skipped yours."

Greg glanced at the clock. It was already five, "Holy...time certainly flew. Who's here?"

"Go down and see."

Greg eyed Catherine for a moment, but nodded and stood up, "Outside?" She nodded as well and held out his jacket, "How did you...never mind. I don't want to know." He pulled off the lab coat and dropped it over his chair before leaving, pulling on his jacket as he went.

He stepped outside and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp air before looking around. His eyes fell on the person waiting for him and they instantly welled up with tears, "Nick..."

Nick stood up and walked over to Greg. When he was within a foot of the lab-rat, he reached out and grabbed Greg's hand, tugging him close before wrapping his arms around the smaller body, "Don't worry Greg, everything will work out. She will _not_ take our son from us."

Nick's verbal admission to Elijah being both of theirs added fire to his hope, but it also caused him to start crying again, "I hope not, Nick. I really, really hope not." he whispered, wrapping his own arms around Nick's waist.

-----

Greg hung up the phone and sat down at the island, resting his forehead on the palms of his hands. Nick closed the dish washer door, came up behind him and started rubbing his shoulders, "So?"

"Malcolm said that while it was usually unheard of for such cases to go as far as this one has so far, given the background, the Stanfield name and money hold a lot of sway. It got pushed through, apparently by Blythe's father." Greg sighed, "He said not to give in. Despite her calling me, Blythe's not the one holding the cards and thats going to raise some flags with any judge."

"Any idea of when this is going to get worse?"

Greg shook his head, "No, but Malcolm said definitely not until after the first of the year. Said that'll give him time also to look and see who will be available to represent us."

Nick nodded as he dropped his hands and wrapped them around Greg's chest, "Elijah is with Rayne for the afternoon and we both have the night off. What do you want to do?"

The way Nick said it, Greg knew he wasn't talking about sex, despite the phrasing used. He turned sideways on the stool and looked his lover straight in the eye, "I want to go shopping. If this..." He paused when his breath hitched, "If this is the last Christmas I have with him, I'm going to damn well make it the best he'll ever have."

"All right, but G keep this in mind, we are not going to lose him and I'll damn well keep saying it until you believe me." Nick said it so firmly that Greg couldn't help but believe him, even if the hope was still minuscule at the moment, "So, shopping. We need tree decorations as well which means we're taking the Tahoe."

Greg kissed Nick on the cheek and stood up, "Okay. Let's go then."

They started off at the mall, their first destination a department store that sold the decorations they would need. They found and tossed many boxes of colored stringed lights and garland into the cart, deciding rather quickly that tinsel and three-year-olds wouldn't mix very well. They had grabbed close to five boxes of each, not sure exactly how large of a tree they were going to get.

While Nick was picking out boxed ornament sets, Greg looked over the individual displays of specialty ones, instantly finding a globed one that proclaimed, 'world's greatest dad' on it. He looked over at Nick with a small smile and plucked it off its hanger before looking for a year three ornament for Elijah, a tradition he had started for Elijah's first Christmas.

He found what he was looking for quickly and as he was turning to add them to the cart's rapidly growing pile, he saw an ornament that caused his throat to close. It was a figurine of a father and son, the fathers hand resting on his son's head. He reached out slowly and grabbed it, adding it to the collection in his hands without a second thought.

Nick saw it and the reaction it caused, but didn't say anything. Instead, he gently ushered Greg down the next aisle, which contained decorative, lighted garlands as well as a large collection of stockings.

Greg fingered one of them, which had the image of a puppy on it, "I think he's old enough for a stocking this year."

"Yeah." Nick saw another with a reindeer, "Why don't we get three? One for each of us."

"All right."

They added three stockings to the cart as well as four strands of the lighted garlands for the entry way and stair rails. After deciding on other minor decorations, the brought their purchases to the truck before heading back into the mall, "Where to next?"

Greg looked around and spotted K.B. Toys, "There." He said, starting for the store.

Greg would have preferred Toy's R Us, but when they had driven by the store, the parking lot had been completely full. He grabbed a cart and started down the first of five aisles, looking over the toy selection. This aisle held the stores infant toys and he paused in front of an activity mat, "We could get Dakota that." He said, pointing at the display box.

Nick shrugged, "We could. I don't think Sammy has one." He grabbed a box and stored it on the cart's bottom rack, "That and a few more smaller toys and a couple of outfits I think."

"Yeah, that sounds good." They picked out the toys quickly, both laughing when they showed each other the same toy, the only difference being the maker of the toy, "All right, I think one would be enough." Greg said, putting his back.

They went down the next aisle and gaped at the over abundance of pastels lining the shelves, "I think we found the dolls." Nick muttered, poking a finger at one of the boxes.

"Trixie and Lindsey?" Greg asked, looking around.

"Lindsey doesn't play with dolls, Greg. She'd shoot you if you got her one."

Greg rolled his eyes, "I meant a Barbie." Greg said, pointing further down the aisle.

"Oh. Yeah, all right." Nick shrugged, "We can Trixie this for her big gift."

Greg looked over at Nick who was pointing to a nursery play set, "Sure. A doll with two matching outfits for it and she'll be pretty much all set."

Nick grabbed the box and piled it on top of the activity mat's box while Greg chose a doll and two outfits for it. They decided on a Barbie doll for Lindsey and quickly made their way out of the aisle to the next. Greg stopped and stared at the back wall, his head cocked to the side slightly, "How about a board game for Maddox?"

"Sure, why not?" Nick said. They agreed to get him a battleship game and found a board game for Sammy and Kieran as well. Greg saw a hand held learning game that he knew his son would love and tossed it and most of the matching cartridges into the cart. Nick went into the next aisle while Greg was doing that and let out a happy laugh, "Here we go."

Greg's eyebrows rose and he followed Nick, stopping when he saw his lover. The man was walking towards him, loaded down with a variety of colorful boxes, "What the..."

"Play doh, a large variety box of colors, a Thomas the Train Engine Play doh modeling set as well as a shapes modeling set." Nick said, dropping the boxes into the cart.

"Huh." Greg said with a shrug, "All right."

He joined in the hunt and found a large amount of smaller activity toys that his son would like. Nick found a large Lego pad at the end of the aisle and placed it on top of the two boxes under the cart.

When Greg met up with him at the end of the aisle, he scratched the bridge of his nose as he looked over the growing pile, "How are we going to get this all out to the truck?"

"Very carefully, I think. We still have one more aisle to go." Nick said.

Greg maneuvered the cart around the wall and sighed. Action figures. The one thing his son wasn't into, "I think..." He trailed off and went further down the aisle, "We found the building toys."

Nick joined him and they stared at the wall with glazed over expressions. Both of them happily played with Elijah's Lego set and Greg's old and worn Tinker toy set and the array of both items in front of them was astounding. They both reached out at the same time, Greg going for the Lego's, large ones for his son as well as a smaller sized set, while Nick grabbed various boxes of Tinker toy's.

They turned around to the other side of the aisle and found the Lego kits. They saw a few Harry Potter sets and agreed that they had found Maddox's large gift. A bit further down the aisle, Greg paused and just stared, "I didn't think they made those anymore."

"What?" Nick looked and gasped, "Holy shit. Lincoln logs. Eli..."

"Loves them, I know. He's always going on about playing with them at daycare. Look at the varieties." He reached out and grabbed two tubs, a stagecoach station and the fort, while Nick grabbed the pioneer outpost and the prairie farm.

"Anything else?" Nick asked, looking around, "What about those blocks?"

"What blocks?" Greg asked, confused, "I don't see any...oh. Yeah, why not?" He grabbed the box that contained an alphabet and number set of blocks in a wooden wagon, "Oh, and those dominoes. It'll give him something to do during bath time." He said, pointing up to the top shelf.

"Yeah, maybe he'll be so interested in them that he'll stop fighting us about his plugs." Nick muttered, stretching up to grab the plastic bag.

On their way to the check-outs, they added a few boxes of puzzles as well as some movies. Greg saw another display near the door that caught his eye and he gravitated towards it. It was mostly outdoor toys and the selection for toddlers was fairly large. He grabbed an inflatable ball pit, a box of bubbles, and a neat little plastic golf set. He was tempted to grab the Nerf baseball set, but the bats were plastic and the bruises that came to mind didn't look pretty.

After checking out, Greg had to remind Nick to breath after they received the total, and then casually mentioned that they still had the rest of Nick's nieces and nephews to shop for eventually. The look Nick shot him promised retribution was in his future and he laughed all the way out to the truck.

They stopped at Pizza Hut on the way home, deciding that cooking after all the shopping they did just sounded like an exhausting chore. Greg called in the order when they were about twenty minutes from home and they managed to get to the restaurant just as their order was being packed up.

When they got home, it was closing in on seven and Rayne said they'd be back at the house by eight. They quickly devoured their food and started hauling toys up to the storage room that was off of the playroom. By the time eight rolled around, Nick and Greg were carefully hauling the tree stand they bought into the living room.

They had the box open and the stand out and half set up when Rayne ushered Elijah into the house at quarter past. The red-headed toddler rushed right into his dads arms and gave him a wet kiss on the cheek. Greg smiled and squeezed his son, "Did you have fun?"

Elijah nodded and ran over to Nick to give him the same greeting. Once that was accomplished, he plopped down onto Nick's lap so he was facing his dad, "lots and lots. played wit' baby!" He exclaimed with an almost shocked look on his face.

Greg laughed and looked up at Rayne, "You went over to Lauren's?"

Rayne shrugged lightly and ruffled Greg's hair, "I wanted to drop of the blanket I was knitting up for Summer. We stayed and had milk and cookies and yes, Elijah did play with Summer. It was cute. We also stopped and saw Santa."

"Cool...did you get pictures?" Greg asked, ignoring Nick's hurt look and his own pang. They had been planning on taking Elijah the next day, as they had it off being a Saturday.

"Of course. They're in the kitchen. I used a whole roll at Lauren's so I got them developed why we waited in line." What she didn't tell the two men was that she had actually taken Elijah to get his picture professionally taken at the mall. It hadn't been intentional to see Santa, but it made for a good cover story for being at the mall in case Elijah blabbed, as the pictures were going to be part of his gift to his dads.

Elijah looked up at his dad, "go see santy 'gain? fo'got someting."

Greg let out a grin as did Nick, "Sure thing sproglet. We can go tomorrow."

"cool."

-----

"nicky, what dis?"

Nick looked down at Elijah, who was kneeling in front of the coffee table, "That's a snow globe, little man."

Elijah cocked his head and reached out a finger to run down the side of the glass, "what do?"

Nick kneeled down on the floor and then grinned as Elijah scooted back to plop on his thighs. Nick reached around the toddler and pulled the globe closer, "Help me pick it up."

"k." Elijah wrapped his hands around the base and together, the two of them lifted up the large, ornate snow globe.

"All right, what we need to do is flip it. Ready?"

"yeah."

Nick started to tilt the globe, Elijah losing his grip as he saw the glitter inside start to swirl in the water. He gave a gasp and leaned closer as Nick brought the snow globe back up right. Elijah quickly grasped the gold base and pulled it closer, watching with wide eyes as the glitter settled around the tiny house and trees inside the glass.

"woooow."

Nick released a hand from the globe and wrapped it around Elijah's chest to give him a squeeze, "Pretty cool huh?"

"yeaaah." Elijah breathed out, still staring at the glitter.

They flipped the snow globe a couple more times before a clearing throat caught their attention. They both turned to the doorway, "daddy! you see? shiny!" Elijah pushed the globe along the table so Greg could see it.

"That's pretty cool, sproglet." Greg grinned and then pointed towards the garage, "You guys ready?"

Elijah nodded enthusiastically and jumped off of Nick's lap, running for the kitchen and his jacket. Nick stood up and walked over to Greg, pulling him into his arms, "We gunna have enough time?"

Greg shrugged and looked at the clock over the mantle, "It's five now, malls open till nine and so is the tree place. I think we'll be okay."

Nick gave Greg a kiss before stepping back, "The mall is going to be packed you know."

Greg nodded, "That's why we're going now. Where are we going to eat?" He followed Nick into the kitchen, pausing to help Elijah worm into his jacket.

"I have no idea." Nick replied, grabbing his coat off of one of the stools.

Nick's assessment on the crowds at the mall was pretty accurate. From the second they had left the truck, Elijah had been tucked into Nick's arms, neither man wanting to chance loosing the toddler in the throng of holiday shoppers. It had then taken them nearly twenty minutes and a couple of detours to make it to the hall where the malls Santa had set up shop for the season. The line, full of children anxious to see the man, wasn't all that long but it was going to take them close to a half an hour before their turn came.

When Elijah was finally placed on the jolly mans lap, Nick was nearly blown away when Santa said, "Well hello again Elijah. Did you forget something?"

Nick turned to Greg, who's own mouth was agape, "Thats nuts. Who has that good a memory?"

Greg's mouth snapped shut as he shrugged, "I have no idea. Maybe he's got a photogenic one."

Nick hummed in response as he looked back at their son, who was nodding bashfully.

"i wants twain like chwis." Elijah replied, his eyes shining as he stared up at Santa's face.

Santa nodded and stroked his beard, "I see. Well, Elijah, train sets are very popular this year, but I will certainly see what I can do." A thoughtful look crossed the mans face, "How big of a set would you like?"

"i little, so like me."

"Yes, if it were too big you'd need help to play with it." Santa patted the top of Elijah's head, "Is that everything?"

Elijah nodded, "uh huh. tank you."

Santa laughed, "You're very welcome, Elijah."

One of the elf clad teenagers came forward then and helped Elijah down. After receiving his candy cane, he rushed towards the gate where the adult line ended. Nick caught the running boy easily as Greg was handed a card from another elf helper. As they stepped out of the line and into the main hall, Nick peered over Greg's shoulder as the lab rat opened the card.

There was a Polaroid of Elijah sitting on Santa's lap, taken while the three-year-old had been looking up at the man's face, nestled inside with a holiday tiding opposite. Both men grinned at each other as Greg closed the card back up. Elijah chose that moment to tug on the neck of Nick's jacket, "i hungry. we eat?"

They went to a steakhouse for dinner. It was an interesting meal as this was the first time they had taken Elijah some place where the meals came with salads beforehand. Elijah wasn't too sure of the greens in the bowl, but he had crunched away happily at the croutons, even going as far as stealing the seasoned bread from both Greg and Nick's bowls.

Once they left the restaurant, they drove down three blocks to a tree lot, the reason for choosing the restaurant that they had. Nick went off to park after dropping Greg and Elijah at the gate. When he went to join them, he was amused to find Elijah trying to pull Greg in every direction his eyes turned as he looked at the trees spread out before him.

"Having fun, G?"

Greg looked over his shoulder at him, "Tons. He can't make up his mind where to go first."

Elijah caught sight of a large pine then and promptly took off towards it, dragging Greg along as best he could, "daddy! look!"

When they came to a stop in front of it, both men craned their necks back as they took in the height of the tree, "It's huge. I don't think we have enough lights or ornaments to cover it." Greg said.

Nick nodded in agreement, "Try another one, little man."

"but..." Elijah looked at them before sighing and starting down the aisle again. The next tree Elijah chose had a few gaping holes in the back and was instantly shot down.

"Third times the charm." Greg said, placing his hand on Elijah's head as they walked along yet another aisle. Nick, on the other hand, was beginning to wonder if they should have just gone with a fake tree for all the luck they were having.

About to suggest either going to another lot or going with a fake, Elijah let out a squeal and bolted down the aisle.

"Elijah!" Both men yelled as they instantly sprinted after him.

Thankfully, the toddler didn't go far. After crossing the main aisle and running into the next, Elijah skidded to a stop in front of a beautiful tree that had branches sweeping upwards at an angle perfect for ornaments, "dis one daddy!"

A worker joined them then, having overheard Elijah's exclamation, "That there's a Leyland Cypress. It's popular. This one's my last and I can't get anymore shipped in this season."

Nick and Greg looked at the price tag and then at their sons hopeful face. Greg nodded and Nick turned to the worker, "We'll take it."

------

"Wow." Greg said, resting his chin on Elijah's head. Nick had just finished stringing the lights and garland and the tree looked amazing.

"woooow." Elijah breathed out and clapped his hands, "we dec-rate now?" he asked, tilting his head to the side and back to he could look at his fathers face.

Greg gave him an Eskimo kiss, "Sure you're not too tired sproglet?"

"nuh uh. wide 'wake." He used his fingers and pried his eyelids far apart in emphasis.

Nick grabbed Elijah up from Greg's lap and blew a raspberry onto his neck, "That's good, 'cause daddy and I are going to need lots of help with this big tree." Nick paused and glanced at Greg, who nodded, "We even got a special bed-time story for you for Christmas eve."

Elijah pressed his palms against Nick's cheeks and looked at him with wide eyes, "what, what?"

"It's a surprise, babe. You'll have to wait and see. Let's get this tree decorated, okay?" Greg suggested as he stood up.

"k!" Elijah wiggled from his perch on Nick's arms and ran over to the tree before looking back at his two fathers in expectation.

Both men laughed and began opening the boxes of ornaments Nick had picked out as well as pulling out Greg's smaller collection from the large box still resting behind the couch. Nick kneeled down and showed Elijah how to hold the ornament hooks so he wouldn't prick his fingers. He then sat back onto his legs and watched with pride as Elijah hung his first Christmas ornament.

Just as the hook the toddler was holding touched the tree branch, Greg snapped a picture. Elijah's head whipped around at the flash and he laughed when he saw his dad holding a camera. He ran for another ornament and held it up to the tree for Greg to take another picture, which he did happily.

After a few more pictures, Greg put the camera down and started helping. He dug through one of the bags for the three individual ornaments he had bought and called Elijah over to him, "This one's your special ornament, sproglet." He said, holding up the light blue swirly bulb, "Why don't you go hang it up somewhere we can see it?"

"ooh," Elijah took the ornament and then frowned, "whewe hook?"

"This one doesn't need one. The ribbon will hold it on the tree." Greg said, showing his son the loop the ribbon formed, "See?"

"yeah." Elijah nodded and ran to the tree, finding the perfect spot for it next to the Big Bird ornament he had placed just before it.

"Nick." Greg said, straightening up. He walked over to his lover and pressed the one he had bought for the Texan into his hands, "This one is for you." He knew Nick hadn't seen what had been written on the ornament when it was purchased and was anxious to see his reaction.

Nick took the round ornament and turned it over. He stared at the writing for a moment before looking up at Greg, his eyes glassy, "Greg..."

"You like it?"

"I love it." He wrapped an arm around Greg's waist and pulled him close. He leaned in and kissed his lab-rat in thanks before a long and drawn out, 'ewwww,' forced them to separate. Nick laughed, "Some day, Elijah, you will not be ew'ing to that."

Greg looked at Nick, amused, "Nick, I think that no matter how old he is, the sight of us kissing is _always_ going to cause him to say ew. I know my parents kissing in my presence makes me do that."

"Good point." Nick went over to the tree and hung his bulb right next to Elijah's year ornament. He brushed a finger along Elijah's before turning and picking up the shoe box he had been going through before Greg had given him the ornament. He dug through it, curious as to the different types of tree decorations his lover had, and one ornament in particular caught his eye. He lifted it up, wondering if his eyes were playing tricks on him, "Greg?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this...a pickle?"

Greg rolled his eyes as he placed his Linus and Snoopy bell ornament on the tree, "My, but you're observant. They're good luck."

"It's a pickle."

"So we've established."

TBC...


	22. Chapter 21 December 2002

Here ya go, a new chapter and another for me to worry about. Lol. I hope you like it...really, I do. Oh, and remember to pardon any mistakes in here.

Thanks for the fantastic reviews.

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December

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Greg cuddled closer to Nick, his hands straying down to play with the hand that was resting on his stomach. They still had an hour until they had to be to work and so decided to relax in front of the tree once Elijah was down for the night. Greg was sitting with his back pressed against the side of Nick's chest and tucked under the Texans arm.

He picked up the hand off his stomach, his playing becoming more of a lost-in-thought fidgeting than anything else, "Nick?"

"Hmm?" Nick hummed out to show he was listening.

"I...you might not want to talk about this at all, but it's been bugging me for a long time now." Greg muttered. As he spoke, his fidgety playing with Nick's hand turned into a light massage to it's palm.

Nick stiffened behind him. It was slight, but with Greg's position against his lover, it was easily noticeable, "What's that G?"

Greg bit his lip. This was probably not one of his smartest idea's ever but like he had said, it had been bugging him for a long time. Actually, since before they had even started dating. He took a deep breath, "Remember you don't have to tell me anything. I won't be mad if you don't but...when it comes to babysitters for Eli you get kinda...tense and I was kinda wondering why?"

Nick's slight stiffness suddenly went full blown, so much so that it was no longer comfortable for Greg to lean against him. The lab-rat sat up straight and turned so he was facing Nick. He took in the reddening face and clenched jaw. The sight made him feel like an utter goob for asking and he mentally cursed his curiosity, "Nick, you really don't have to say anything. I'm really sorry for asking. It's just, I noticed and it confused me so I got to wondering why but the times I noticed weren't times to bring it up and now that I have I feel horrible for doing so 'cause it's obvious that you don't want to talk about it mmph-..."

"Breathe Greg." Nick said. He pulled the hand away from Greg's mouth that he had used to stop the upset babbling, "I suppose it's time to tell you. It wasn't like I was hiding it from you, but...only two people know and that's mama and Catherine. Catherine only knows because of a case and mama, well, even she doesn't know fully what happened."

Greg nodded. He was pretty sure he knew what night Nick was referring to. Catherine found out a lot of things that night it seemed, his feelings for Nick being one of them. It was only by luck, or so he thought then, that Nick had been too focused on the case to pick up on what he had said, '_But when it comes to Nick here, I push further._' At the time, he had had mixed feeling's about the fact that the Texan hadn't caught it.

Greg placed a hand on Nick's shoulder and squeezed, "You don't have to. I'm not going to force you."

"No, you need to understand." Nick said as he shook his head. He took his own deep breath, while beside him Greg did the same, "When I was nine, I had a last minute babysitter. One of my sisters friends. Tasha's I think. Anyway, it...it wasn't much, touching mainly but it was terrifying all the same. I stayed up waiting for mama to get home, just sat there in the dark, staring at the wall."

"Nick..." Greg gasped. He slid onto Nick's lap and wove his arms around the strong neck, "Oh babe."

Nick slid his own arms around Greg's slim waist to ground him as he spilled out the demons that had haunted him his whole life, "I didn't tell mama that night. Just that I didn't want the girl to babysit again. She didn't find out more than that for...quite a few years and even then it wasn't everything."

Greg buried his face between Nick's neck and his own arms, tears starting to fall at the pain that Nick had gone through, both from the night it happened and from living with it for so long, "I love you." He whispered, nuzzling his nose into warm skin.

"Yeah, I know." Was Nick's shuddering reply as he tightened his arms, "I...didn't realize I was being so crazy about babysitters for Elijah though."

"Well, it wasn't big things that gave it away. Other than the question when you met him, it was mostly a clenched jaw or tightened shoulders." Greg pulled away and stared at Nick thoughtfully, "Except that one time. My birthday I think? Warrick told me you practically went insane and that Catherine understood why and told him to leave you alone about it."

"Good old Catherine." Nick muttered, although he was smiling slightly when he said it. While the smile was genuine, it didn't push away the sad sheen of tears covering the brown eyes and Greg felt his heart clench.

"Yeah, just don't let her hear you call her old. She'd emasculate you." He lowered his head back down to Nick's shoulder with a sigh, happy when the chest he was leaning on shook with a silent chuckle. The joke was lame, although true, and Greg suddenly felt the need to come up with something to cheer Nick up. If only he knew what to do though.

-----

He knew he had been crabby, but really, what was everyone expecting? His calls to Malcolm were becoming more frequent, despite the lawyers promise that things wouldn't begin to happen until January, his mother was on his case about Christmas and didn't understand that he and Nick just wanted a small family Christmas with their son. It didn't help that he still hadn't told her about Blythe, the reason behind wanting the small Christmas.

What he couldn't believe, however, was that he had just kicked Nick and Warrick out of his lab. He knew Nick was going to get him back for dumping him out of the chair though.

It wasn't as if he could help it. Well, he probably could, but his thoughts had been wandering since Nick had told him about what had happened to him. It had barely been two days since, but he knew his lover was still feeling from opening that wound up and he couldn't help but feel guilty at pulling that scab. Now, he just wanted some time to think and those two ruminating in his lab didn't help him in that area in the least.

Actually, now that he thought about it, maybe their rambling about the case could help. Greg dropped down on the chair that he had pushed Nick off of and began fiddling with the same piece of equipment Nick had been. Their talking, as in Nick and Warrick's, was actually giving him an idea.

Warrick had said that Nick had to be 'Top Dog' when it came to most things, which was certainly true. Nick, despite the shyness that sometimes showed up, had to be in control or at the very least _wanted_ to be in control. He handled secrets and surprises with a reluctance that left him tense. Greg had figured that out when they had taken the trip to Lake Tahoe when Nick kept asking him what was going to happen next.

It wasn't that comment that struck the idea burning, but the conversation around it as well as the case they were working on. He knew that, despite the interest in extreme sports, Nick had never done anything by way of air jumps, be it hang gliding, para gliding or whatever. Doing just that might be the way to get his lovers mind off of his past. It might be a quick fix, but it would help for a bit.

So, upon getting home and greeting Elijah, he jumped onto the net and began surfing sites. He found that there were two para gliding courses in their area of Vegas. The one that was just closed down due to the owner being under suspicion for murder and another, much smaller group for beginners. Looking over the information laid out before him on the screen, Greg decided that it was his best choice and called the number given.

Greg decided to keep the idea to himself until after Nick and Warrick solved the case. It was a three day wait for them to do so and his crabbiness had turned into a bouncy anxiousness as the days passed. It had been a gradual transformation but Nick had commented that it was better to see him bouncing around all wild like than it was to see him throwing people out his lab door.

Nick still hadn't gotten him back for that yet, but he knew something was coming soon...actually, he thought that something was going to happen this morning when Nick told him he was taking off from work early. Now that he thought about it, the possibility that something lay waiting around the corner was still wide open, given that he hadn't gotten home until two hours after the Texan.

Sammy was going to pick Elijah up from daycare for him and so Greg found himself fiddling with the brochure at the kitchen table after waking up and getting ready. He himself wasn't going to go up, as the idea of being held aloft by only a canopy and strings far exceeded his area of comfort, but he was definitely going to go with to watch.

Nick finally stumbled into the kitchen, eyes slit at the sun shining in through the many windows, "We should get black out curtains for down here too." He muttered as he made his way to the coffee pot and the mug waiting for him.

Greg laughed, "Yeah right." He lifted his head up as Nick came up to sit next to him. He accepted the light kiss before looking back at the brochure, "I have a surprise for you."

Nick's eyebrows rose as he took a gulp of his coffee. He licked his lip before saying, "Oh yeah? What's that?"

Greg laid the brochure face down on the island and slid it across the granite marble so it was resting in front of Nick, "This isn't an early Christmas present or anything. More like a 'just 'cause I love you,' type thing."

"'Cause you love me..." Nick flipped the brochure and almost dropped his mug in shock. Greg managed to grab it before it spilled on the island, "Christ G, you don't pull strings do you."

"Nuh uh, and I won't be either. I'll gladly watch you have at it, but that's a little over my comfort zone." Greg leaned over and tapped the attached business card with his finger, "You're to meet the instructor at Mount Potosi at five. That gives you about forty five minutes to do your thing before we have to leave."

Nick stared at the brochure for a moment longer before looking at Greg. He gave his lover a blinding smile before leaning and sealing Greg's lips in a deep kiss. Greg allowed it to go on for a few minutes until Nick's hands started in, grappling for skin. He pulled away only to have Nick start blazing a trail of kisses down his exposed neck. He pushed at a broad shoulder in an attempt to put some distance between them, "Woah, cowboy. Don't start something we can't finish."

The new endearment caught Nick's attention. He leaned back and quirked his eyebrows at Greg, "Cowboy?"

Greg's own eyebrow rose, although his was in amusement, "Problem?"

"Not...really..." Nick drawled out slowly, "Just interesting you picked that is all."

"Seemed to fit at the time and I kinda like it. I'll have to use it again sometime." Greg stood up, "Well, go do your thing. I'm going to call Sammy and talk to Elijah for a few."

Nick nodded and stood up as well. He started for the doorway but paused and turned around. He pulled Greg into a soft kiss, running his hand along Greg's back in a soft caress, "Love you G."

Greg smiled and pushed Nick towards the doorway, "I love you too..._cowboy_."

-----

Greg tossed himself down onto the couch in the playroom, a book in hand. Elijah was sprawled out on his miniature foam couch, dead to the world, and Nick...well, Nick's newest case had spilled into the weekend. Not a rare occurrence, but it was certainly few and far between when it happened. Deciding to make use of the time he had before the three-year-old woke up, he cracked the hard bound cover of his newest murder mystery and let himself fall into the story.

When he was abruptly brought back to reality, it was with the crushing realization that he hadn't gotten all that far into the plot. Looking around to see what caused his return, his eyes met those of his son, which were gazing back at him with a mischievous gleam.

With amusement lacing his voice, he said, "Elijah."

"daddy." The toddler replied, his amusement and lilt matching his father's.

Greg slid a finger between the pages to mark his place, "good nap?"

Elijah shrugged in response and crawled off his little couch. He crab walked his way over to the one Greg was sprawled on and rested his chin on the cushion, right next to Greg's face, "daddy..."

"What's up sproglet?" Greg asked, turning his head so their noses brushed.

Elijah didn't say anything for a moment. When Greg opened his mouth to ask again, however, his son broke into a huge grin, "want cookie."

Cookies...cookies...Greg wasn't sure that they had any in the house. He preferred his freshly baked, despite his soft spot for Oreo's, and so usually picked up a few at a bakery when he had a hankering for one. Elijah's sweet tooth was mild for a three-year-old and the toddler normally asked for grahams or his animal crackers.

"We don't have any." Greg said. His eyes narrowed in concern as Elijah's face crumpled in disappointment. He almost gave in to going and buying some somewhere when an even better idea popped into his head, "But, that doesn't mean we can't make any."

"yay!" Elijah scrambled to his feet and ran to the door, only to slide across the floor as he tried to stop, his socks providing no grip against the wood floor. His feet slipped out from under him and he fell down onto his butt.

Greg all but flew off the couch and ran to Elijah to check on him, but he too slid across the wood floor of the kitchenette. However, instead of falling like Elijah had, he continued sliding right into the wall next to the doors, "Owie."

Greg shook his head and turned to Elijah who had collapsed on the floor in laughter at his collision. He scowled playfully and dropped to his knees, "Think thats funny huh?"

Elijah nodded his head, not able to get enough air around his laughter to verbalize an answer. Greg lowered his hands to the floor and stalked towards his son, body low and slinky like that of a tiger hunting its prey. Elijah watched his approach with a delighted look on his face. He knew what was coming.

"I'll give you something to laugh about." Greg stopped by Elijah's feet and raised his hand, poised for tickling.

Elijah squealed and squiggled over onto his stomach so he could attempt a get away. Greg laughed, though it sounded slightly evil, as he dug his fingers into the sensitive spot on the side of Elijah's torso.

"daaaaaady!" Elijah yelled, his laughter growing again.

When tears started trailing down Elijah's face, Greg finally let his hands drop. He leaned over Elijah and blew a raspberry onto Elijah's neck before sitting back on his heels, "That's what you get for laughing at your dad." He laughed and scooped Elijah up into his arms, giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek before standing up, "Let's go start those cookies, hmm?"

"k!"

Greg carried Elijah down to the kitchen and set him on the island, "You thirsty?"

Elijah smacked his lips together a few times and nodded, "a little."

Greg pulled a pre-made sippy cup out of the fridge, handed it to his son, and then dug into the cupboard for his coffee. He wasn't fully sure he wanted it though. The Blue Hawaiian, which had always given him a fast kick in the ass when he needed it, seemed to be completely non-effective all of a sudden. He wondered if he was finally immune to it's effects. He'd heard of that happening before.

It was as he was grabbing the metallic blue bag off the shelf that he caught sight of something that made him scowl, "Sweet Jesus! Nick!"

Half sticking out from behind a large mixing bowl was a teal and silver bag that matched his in size and shape. He grabbed it and read the label on the front. 'Blue Hawaiian: decaf. For those who want the taste but not the caffeine.' He was going to shoot his lover. That's all there was to it.

"what nicky do?" Elijah asked, pulling the spout of his cup away from his mouth.

"He switched daddy's coffee on him. Or so I'm hoping." Greg replied, opening both bags. He had to smile though, when Elijah gasped behind him and said, 'nicky's in twouble!' It was good to know his son had his priorities straight. Looking down into the two bags, however, caused his frown to return. He couldn't tell if the decaf bag was his coffee or if it was a second bag that Nick had gotten just in case. The smell of the ground beans was the same and he knew he couldn't go by taste. Especially since he now had the sinking feeling he'd been drinking decaf all week. There was only one way to find out.

"Give me a second, okay sproglet?"

Elijah shrugged in response as Greg went for his phone. He quickly found and dialed the number for Nick's cell.

//Hey, Greg. What's wrong?//

Greg turned so he was facing the coffee bags, "Nothings wrong Nick. What makes you say that?"

//You're calling at eleven thirty when I told you this morning I was going to be working a double.// Nick replied.

Greg heard a chair scraping and wondered briefly what part of the lab his lover was in before shaking his head. This was not just a casual call, "Actually, I've got a little question and it seems you're the only one who's going to be able to answer it."

//O-kay?//

"What the heck did you do to my coffee?" His voice was calm and he wasn't angry, but frustrated. He _needed_ his coffee.

//Found that huh?// Greg choose to ignore the laughter in Nick's voice//I didn't throw it out, if that's what you're worried about. That shit's expensive. The stuff in the decaf bag is yours.//

"You are in so much trouble Stokes. I'll talk to you later." Greg waited for the laugh and Nick's 'bye' before hanging up. He quickly set up a pot of coffee before turning to dig out his cookie cookbook, "Okay, sproglet. What kind of cookie do you want?"

Elijah scratched the bridge of his nose as it wrinkled in thought, "kwismas cookies! wif santy claws and twees and...and..." Elijah started bouncing as he tried to think of more shapes tied to the season.

"Let's just see what kind of cookie cutters dad has, hm?" Greg said with a laugh. He reached under the island and pulled a box off the shelf. Inside was a variety of cutters his mom had gifted him with when he had moved out of their house. Greg hadn't been too sure why she had given him cookie cutters of all things, since at the time he couldn't cook, let alone _bake_, worth a damn. Now, he was thanking her profusely as he pulled out a Santa, two different Christmas trees, and a few stars. There was also a candy cane, a stocking, a snowflake and a mitten.

"Looks like we're going to have a lot of different cookies." Greg said happily, looking over their choices.

Elijah nodded and pointed to the mitten, "make one like mine?"

"Sure can. Lets make up the dough first, though." Greg put the box away and opened the cookbook. He then went about getting out the ingredients and equipment, setting them down on the island before finally digging out his Kitchen Aide mixer. That mixer had been a gift to himself when he mastered his cooking lessons. Expensive, yes, but he figured it to be worth it. Especially since it didn't leave a mess of dough on the counters, something that tended to happen when he used a hand held mixer.

"All right. First up, butter and sugar." He dumped them into the bowl after measuring out the sugar and looked at Elijah, "Wanna turn it on?"

"how do dat?" The toddler asked, looking over the machine with careful scrutiny.

"See this lever right here?" Greg pointed to the speed lever on Elijah's side, "If you give it a tug, it'll turn on."

Elijah gave his dad a skeptical look but did as told. His face grew sunny as the machine whirred to life, "cool."

"One more notch babe. We need it to go a little faster."

"k." Elijah gave another tug and the mixing sped up, he laughed and peeked into the bowl, watching as the two ingredients practically melted together.

The rest of the ingredients were added in due time, Elijah working the mixer like a pro. Testing the final product with his finger, Greg nodded happily. It was a no chill dough, so it was imperative that the dough come out stiff. He dumped it onto a lightly floured space on the counter and split it in half.

After rolling it out, he showed Elijah how to carefully cut out shapes. There were a few mistakes, like a headless Santa and a mitten missing a thumb, but Greg thought Elijah had done a pretty good job all in all. When the first batch was cooking, Greg whipped up his Aunt Sabine's frosting recipe. They had a large variety of colors, at Elijah's insistence, so not many of their cookies would look alike.

-----

Nick yawned as he walked into the house. Weekend shifts were always hard, because going into them made it feel as if the work week was never ending. In a way, he almost preferred to work double or even triple shifts during the week if it meant not working the weekend. Sadly, that hadn't been the case this time.

As he reached the door, he couldn't help but think about Greg's admonishment that he was in trouble. It couldn't have been too bad though, as he had heard Elijah giggling in the background when Greg had said it. He knew he shouldn't have touched the coffee, but the temptation had been too great and he had had a great laugh with Warrick over Greg's mumblings about the office sludge he had been downing to keep awake.

He paused outside the door and took a deep breath. Someone was baking cookies. He loved that smell. Opening the door to the kitchen, he peeked in and then smiled. Elijah was sitting at the island, his tongue stuck between his teeth as he carefully applied frosting to the cookie in front of him. Greg pretty much looked the same as their son, except taller. Both of the Sanders men were covered in flour and a colorful variety of frosting.

Nick walked into the kitchen and dropped his bag by the door, the little rubber feet on the bottom of the bag catching the attention of his two men. Elijah squealed at the sight of him and bolted off his chair and around the island while Greg just smiled at him, "Hey babe." Nick said, before bending over to catch the three-year-old.

He dangled Elijah in front of him for a moment, allowing the child to giggle as the Texan proceeded to lick a spot of frosting off of Elijah's forehead before bringing him in to sit on his hip, "Mm, tasty. You decorating the cookies or yourself?"

Elijah scrubbed at his forehead as he muttered a long ,'ew.' Once he deemed his forehead_clean_, he pointed over his shoulder, "decwating cookies! doin a twee."

"Can I help?"

"dunno. daddy said you be in twouble."

Nick raised an eyebrow at his lover, "...You grounding me G?"

Greg laughed, "You can help with the cookies if you want. I'll come up with a suitable punishment later."

TBC...

Hope you liked it...cheers!


	23. Chapter 22 December 2002

All right, **two things**. Those of you who were waiting to see Greg's revenge/punishment, well, thats going to be one of the one-shots that comes out when this story is finished. The main reason is that the last chapter was added in after the story itself was finished. So, no where to put it. I will write it though, no worries. Second, this chapter is like, pure fluff. That's what you get when you mix a three-year-old and Christmas.

Thank you for all your awesome reviews! I love getting them and hearing your thoughts.

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December

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Greg finished wrapping Nick's last gift with a happy sigh. It had been hell trying to find time away from the Texan long enough to get it done but he finally had, even if it was Christmas eve. He gathered up the large pile and carried it downstairs, settling them under the tree. A glance at the clock showed it to be nearing nine and he went back upstairs to Elijah's room.

Nick walked out of the bathroom with Elijah in his arms and wrapped up in a towel. They had spent much of the afternoon trying to tire the toddler out as much as possible and Nick knew they had succeeded when Elijah's nightly fight with the ear plugs was quieter than what was usual.

Greg took Elijah from Nick's arms and scrubbed him down while Nick dug out Elijah's special Christmas pajama's, his one present that he was allowed to open early. They dressed him and had him tucked in in no time. Greg sat down on the edge of the bed, allowing Elijah to snuggle up to him while Nick read his bedtime story.

Nick sat down on the opposite side of him and cracked open the new pop-up book, holding it so Elijah could easily see the pictures that stood up from their holding spots, "Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas would soon be there..."

Greg leaned his head against the headboard and watched Nick read the famous poem out loud. He remembered his own father reading this to him when he was younger and had happily grabbed a copy when they had been at the bookstore while shopping for their parents.

Nick barely made it into the second verse before Elijah dropped off and they both smiled at each other over the sleeping head before carefully climbing off of the bed. They both kissed him and Greg tucked the blankets up before running his fingers along a smooth cheek. He followed Nick out of Elijah's bedroom and shut the door before turning to his lover, "Ready?"

"No, not really." Nick groaned, looking over the railing at the tree, "But I suppose we have to."

"Hey, look at it this way. We've got most of the gifts wrapped. We just need to bring them downstairs."

"And fill the stockings, and put together that bike, and..."

Greg kissed Nick, running his fingers up into the brown locks so he could angle Nick's head better, "Well, the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can enjoy more...physical activities." He said after he pulled away.

Nick threaded his fingers through Greg's belt loops, "Or we could just start that now and put off the Santa Clause act until after..."

"Nick, that kid is going to be up early. Do you want to get caught carrying presents down the stairs?"

"Um, no. Let's go get to work." Nick removed his hands from Greg's hips and pushed him towards the play room.

Greg went with a laugh and led the way to the storage room. He unlocked the door and opened it before standing back, "Think we can get it all down in one trip?"

"You're kidding right?" Nick grabbed the box that their new vacuum had come in and began piling presents into it, "If not one, then two at the most if we use this."

"Okay." Greg kneeled down and began to help, piling boxes and bags into the large box, "Looks like more than two." Greg said, as they uncovered the larger, buried presents.

"Yeah, I forgot about those. I'll bring them down while you put the bike together."

Greg sat back and crossed his eyes at the thought of the toddler bike and its many components, "That is so not fair." He grabbed his end of the box and lifted when Nick motioned to do so. Together, they carried it downstairs and unloaded the box before going back up to reload. After the second trip, Greg followed Nick back up and they left the tree box, grabbing the bike's box instead.

Greg stayed downstairs and began to hunt out the various parts for the bike. When Nick came down with two of the larger gifts, Greg had all the parts out and laying around him. He diligently set to work, looking up only when Nick walked into the room. He raised his eyebrows once when Nick brought in a pile that didn't look familiar. Nick just winked and arranged them under the tree with the rest before leaving the room again.

He finished the bike and tied a bow around the plastic bar between the handle and the seat. He lifted it up and dropped it down gently so it was resting by the window, but hidden from view. He stepped back and smiled as an arm slipped around his waist. He leaned back against Nick's chest and took in the sight of the finished tree, "That looks great."

"Oh yeah." Nick agreed. He held up his free hand, "Here."

Greg took the stocking and groaned, "We're not done yet, are we?"

"Nope." Nick kissed the back Greg's neck and dropped his arm. He turned around and grabbed a plastic shopping bag off of the couch. Inside were a myriad of stocking stuffers for their son. They had already done up each others and the two bulging stockings were leaning against the couch, ready to be hung.

Both men dug into the bag and started to transfer products from plastic bag to cloth sock. There were different candies, stickers, a coloring book, small animal figurines, and a music CD. There were also a few wrapped gifts from them individually and they didn't actually know what the other had chosen.

After it was stuffed past the brim, Nick took up the decorative holders for the stockings and placed them on the mantel above the fireplace. Greg handed him each stocking and stood back as Nick hung up the last one. He turned off the lamps as Nick turned on the mantel lights and then grinned, "This looks so awesome." He whispered, taking in the scene before him.

"Yeah it does." Nick turned the lights off and faced Greg, "Well?"

"Well what?"

Nick raised his eyebrows and stuffed his hands into his pockets, "Upstairs?"

Greg laughed, "All right."

------

Greg tossed the covers over his head when he heard the bathroom door slam shut from the room across the landing, "He's awake."

Nick grunted and turned over, dropping his arm over the covered back next to him, "The suns not even up!"

"Like that matters. He's three and it's Christmas." Greg leaned in and gave Nick a kiss just as Elijah's door slammed open. They heard the thundering of little feet start across the landing through their cracked door, and both men looked at it when the pounding came to an abrupt halt, "You turned the lights on, didn't you."

Nick laughed and sat up, "Maybe. Certainly saved us from getting trampled."

Greg sat up as well, "Why did you let me sleep?" He asked as he climbed out of bed and started for his closet. He was having a hard time getting moving, a common side effect of his naps when he took them.

"While neither one of us is working tonight, I don't think falling asleep on Elijah at all today would be a good thing." Nick got up as well and grabbed his robe off of the chair, "I didn't say it earlier, by the way, so Merry Christmas."

Greg gave Nick a large smile as he walked back into the bedroom. He walked up to Nick and grabbed the lapels of the blue, terry cloth robe and pulled his lover close, "Merry Christmas to you too." He leaned in and gave Nick a kiss.

Nick pulled away after a minute and licked his lips, "You taste so good," He said, before leaning in for another kiss.

Greg allowed it and then stepped away completely, "Come on, before he starts complaining or something." He grabbed Nick's hand and weaved their fingers together.

They walked over to the double doors leading out of their bedroom and Greg slowly pulled the door that was already open a crack wider. When they saw their son, they both looked at each other inquiringly. Nick nodded and went up into the sitting room for the camera.

Elijah was kneeling on the landing, his small hands gripping the rails tight as he pressed his face in between two of the wooden bars. His face was alight in awed happiness, his eyes wide and mouth open as he took in the scene below him. He was also sans his pajama bottoms, much to the older mens confusion.

"We did dress him in bottoms, didn't we?" Nick asked as he snapped a picture.

Greg laughed, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure we did. He either kicked them off while he was sleeping or pulled them off when he went to the bathroom."

Nick placed the strap over his wrist and grabbed Greg's hand back up, "Should we put them back on him?"

"Nah. He probably won't sit still long enough."

They stepped out onto the landing and walked over to stand behind Elijah, taking in the sight below as well. Nick had shut the curtains over the big windows and because the sun wasn't quite up yet, the lights had nothing to overpower them and were twinkling happily over sparkling paper and the silver garland.

"Hey sproglet." Greg said, resting his free hand on Elijah's head.

"daddy," Elijah breathed, not moving an inch, "look! santy came!"

"I see that. Kind of a bummer Nicky and I took naps. I've never seen Santa Clause before."

Elijah peeled his fingers from the wooden boards and slowly stood up. He turned to his two fathers and raised his arms, "up?"

Nick crouched down and wrapped his arm around Elijah's thighs and stood up once the small arms were wrapped tight around his neck, "Let's go downstairs. We can get some hot chocolate and something to eat for while we open the presents. How's that sound?"

"weal gooood."

While Greg was fixing them some food, Kringle at Elijah's request along with the promised hot chocolate, Nick carried the wide eyed toddler into the family room. He set Elijah down on one of the couches and pulled down his and Elijah's stockings. He handed Elijah's over, chuckling at the way Elijah carefully held it with both hands, looking both awed and confused.

Knowing that Elijah was watching him and trying to figure out what to do with the stocking, Nick took his own and after a brief peek inside to see if he could determine any of the little knick knacks Greg had bought him, he grabbed it with both hands and upended it, sending the small gifts sprawling all over the second couch.

Elijah giggled and upended his as well, oohing over the small unwrapped toys and meshed bags of candy that he saw first. When Greg came in, Elijah was sitting on the couch, legs sprawled wide and his toys and unwrapped gifts between them on the cushion. Greg pressed a kiss to the top of his son's head before handing him his hot chocolate, which he had placed in a travel coffee mug that was safe from spilling.

Greg passed Nick his mug and sat down on the floor, "The Kringle will be thawed in a bit." He said, setting his own mug on the coffee table as Nick handed him his own stocking.

Elijah giggled behind his hands before saying, "flip it daddy!"

Greg looked up Nick before turning his attention to Elijah. He scratched the bridge of nose, "Flip it, huh? Nothing breakable in here is there?" He asked, peeking inside.

"No."

"All right then." Greg flipped his stocking over and laughed as two of the presents bounced on the floor, one rising over his head, which he tried to catch. He managed it on the items third bounce. It was fairly large for a bouncy ball, he was just able to close his fingers around it, and had diamond facet like protrusions instead of being smooth. Three of the bumps had something on them and when he brought the pearl colored ball closer to his face he saw that they said 'lab rat' and had the picture of a rat in a lab coat in between the two words. He laughed through his nose, "How the heck did you do this?"

"My secret. I'll go get the Kringle and then we can start on gifts." Nick said, twirling one of Greg's spikes in his fingers before heading into the kitchen.

He brought in the cookie sheet that Greg had used to thaw the Kringle on in as well as three small plates and set them down on the coffee table. He dished out two slices for the bouncy toddler who was now on the floor with Greg. He set the small plate next to Elijah's mug of hot chocolate and made up two plates for himself and Greg. He then sat down behind Greg, legs spread out straight on either side of the slim hips, and began digging through the gifts for Elijah's first one.

Elijah was fairly patient when it came to the opening of the presents. He'd open two of his, and then would work on eating his Kringle while either Nick or Greg opened one of theirs. Watching him open presents was something of a shock for the two men. In Nick's family, the kids would normally open their gifts and set them to the side to wait for everyone else to finish before actually opening whatever toy they were given to play with. His mom had made sure of that. Greg was just amazed at how much Elijah took after him. Clothes were admired briefly and then tossed, books were glanced through and carefully set aside and the toys, well, everything came to a screeching halt every time he opened a toy.

Greg leaned forward and pulled two large boxes out from the side of the tree he was closest too. He scooted away from Nick's hold and placed the two boxes where he had been sitting, "Open the top one first." He said with a smile.

Nick did so and promptly frowned, "Greg, I own a Playstation one, not two." He took in the six titles nestled in the box, 4X4 Evo; Madden 2002; NHL 2002; Tekkan 4; Jak and Daxter; and Kingdom Hearts. A couple of them instantly caught his attention, but a few were a bit more...Greg centric. There were also various items laying around the games, like a second controller and memory cards.

"I know, Nick. I do know what platform we use when we play. Open the second."

Nick stared at Greg for a moment and then narrowed his eyes, "You didn't." Greg just smiled and Nick sighed before opening the second gift quickly. Sure enough, he had enough of the paper pulled away to reveal the crisp packaging of the Playstation 2, "Greg..."

"Shut up Nick." He grabbed another box and slid it over to Elijah, "Here you go sproglet."

Elijah ripped away the paper with ease and his eyes lit up as he squealed. Greg smiled at the response. The dance game was probably a bit advanced for the three-year-old, but he could help him out with what to do whenever he decided to play it. He figured Elijah would pick it up easily enough, as he loved to dance.

Greg's 'large' gift from Nick was an iPod, something he had been mooning over since the second version had come out in July, which was compatible with windows.

Tears had been shed over Elijah's gifts to them, followed by large hugs and kisses. He had gotten Nick a digital frame that stated 'I love you' on the edges and held a picture of the little boy wearing a big grin and antlers on his head. Apparently, the picture had been done professionally, more than likely done when Rayne had taken him to the mall earlier in the week. She had, but then neither man actually knew it for a fact. Greg had gotten a key chain that sported 'I love dad' and held the same picture. Both had buttons that, when pressed, had Elijah's voice floating out at them from hidden speakers proclaiming the same message that decorated the frames.

Other gifts for Nick were art supplies, movies, CD's, camping gear, and clothes. His parents had gotten him a leather bound sketchbook that had a tie strap around it as well as a personalized, stainless steel Cowboys mug. Greg had received a few hoodies from his boyfriend's family as well as a few movies and alphabetical CD dividers. Nick had also gotten him a gift card to go with the iPod, some more wild dress shirts, a plug-and-lay Atari, and a whole crap load of leather wrist cuffs. He was grateful for those as he had lost his collection on his various moves and then his last two the year before.

Greg's parents had given him four packages of Egyptian cotton sheets, all of which had incredibly high thread counts, and he blushed furiously at the implication while Nick had a good laugh. His flush deepened at his grandparents gift, a basket of specialty massage oils as well as a home spa kit. His grandmother's thoughts on the gift were probably innocent of innuendo while his papa Olaf had probably done the same thing that Nick was doing now when the gift had been wrapped and packaged. Which was laughing...hard.

Greg had one last gift for Nick, but wasn't sure how his lover was going to take it. He passed over the bag and bit his lip as Nick dug through the festive paper inside.

Nick chuckled and pulled out a teddy bear, one that had an uncanny resemblance to Greg. Or it would have, if it wasn't for the glasses on its face. It had wild, spiky hair on its head and was wearing a lab coat. The attached card proclaimed it to be from the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and inside the cardboard tag, the message read, 'You make me feel like a mad scientist. Wanna do a little experimenting in my lab?'

Nick leaned over and gave Greg a long, wet kiss. As he pulled away he whispered, "Any time babe."

Elijah made a face at his fathers before opening the gift that Nick had passed over. Inside was a pair of toddler in-line skates. He jumped to his feet and ran to his dad, "daddy, daddy, wanna use now!" He exclaimed pointing at the box, "please, please, please?"

Greg reached out and tickled Elijah, laughing as the little boy squirmed and squealed, "All right, chill sproglet. You don't have very many presents left so go ahead."

"yay!" Elijah ran back to the gift and began to tear at the cardboard container.

Greg looked at Nick, still grinning, but his grin faded when he caught sight of the slightly distressed look on Nick's face, "You okay?"

Nick nodded and grabbed another gift, "Open this first, little man."

Elijah cocked his head and then shrugged. After opening it, he lifted the cover off the plain generic box and peered inside, "aww, do i hafta?"

Greg, who had forgotten about the second part of that gift, nodded and pulled the blue helmet and pads out of the box, "'fraid so my _little_ mouse." He dropped the helmet onto his sons head and pushed him towards Nick, who he handed the elbow and knee pads to, "I'm going to clean up some of this paper so he has more room. Guess it's a good thing it's all wood flooring down here." He mused as he walked off to find a garbage bag.

Elijah managed to make two treks around the downstairs, as long as he was hanging onto Nick's hands, who was walking behind him. While they weren't proper in-line skates yet, his balance on them wasn't all too good. It was on his second trip through the family room that he spotted the bike and instantly had to give it a go. Nick left the all the safety accessories on Elijah, removing only the skates.

It was barely twenty minutes later that the three-year-old was passed out on the couch, Stitch clasped tightly in his hands. It was because of the little purple and lavender clown that Greg and Nick had refrained from buying Elijah any stuffed animals. They knew that they would get neglected over the clown.

Figuring that the toddler was out for awhile, they took separate showers and worked on the dishes they were contributing to the early dinner they were having with Sammy and Kieran later that afternoon. They were also planning on more gift opening with the family before they ate, something Elijah would be sure to enjoy.

------

Greg slouched down on the bench as he toed off his shoes, "Four hours yet. What the hell are they doing?"

Sammy shrugged and started working on the knot holding her skates together, "Who knows. Glad they kept the kids though."

"Yeah. Too many people out there to bring in newbies." He pulled on his hockey skates and laced them up. He stood up carefully and then pulled off his jacket to reveal the zipped hoodie he was wearing. He pulled his gloves on and held his hand out to Sammy once she had her cream colored ear band and matching gloves on, "I am going to make so many guys here jealous. You look fantastic."

Sammy smirked as she took Greg's hand, "Just remember that both of us have significant others." She stood and followed Greg down to the ice.

They spent about ten minutes of their time on the ice getting used to the gliding sensation. Neither of them had actually been on an ice rink in years, but soon realized it was much like riding a bike and it wasn't long before they were comfortably moving around edge of the rink with the crowd.

Enjoying the looks he was getting from envious male skaters, Greg kept Sammy's hand clasped in his and spent a lot of time whispering in her ear. He was just telling jokes and humorous stories involving Nick, but it was certainly getting the desired effect of many jealous stares, as it seemed he was whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

They took a break after an hour or so to use the bathroom and warm up with some hot chocolate. While Greg was at the snack counter, he watched out of the corner of his eye as several men went up to Sammy to talk to her. She was certainly enjoying herself and Greg was glad that he had helped put the flush on her cheeks.

When they finally left, as the rink was closing to prepare for the New Years Eve party it was throwing that night, Sammy was practically glowing, "That was so much fun!" She exclaimed, bouncing in her seat, "I feel really guilty, but I'm glad the kids weren't with."

Greg snorted and turned the corner onto his road, "You didn't do anything I'm going to have to warn Kieran about, did you?"

"No." Sammy said, shaking her head, "They certainly tried though. I was asked six times for my number. That's _never_ happened to me in one day before."

Nick had told Greg to park in front of the house when they got home and the Texan had been kind enough to turn on the porch lights. It was closing on eight, the latest Greg had allowed to stay away, so he could be there to put Elijah to bed.

As Greg shut down the car and unbuckled his seatbelt, he asked, "Have you heard anything about fireworks tonight?"

"Yeah. Maddox is going with one of his friends. From what he told me, one of the sets is going off somewhere in the desert behind the house. Maybe we'll be able to see them."

Greg climbed out, "That would be cool."

They started up to the house and were mildly surprised to find Nick and Kieran waiting for them just inside the door. Glancing over his lovers shoulder, Greg could see that the curtains were closed in the family room, blocking out the view of the backyard. He exchanged a confused look with Sammy as they took off their jackets, "So? What do you have planned?"

Nick took his jacket, "That's still a surprise. Eli and Trixie are up in the media room watching a movie. They've both been bathed and are ready for bed if you want to put them down. We'll be up in a few to help."

Greg noticed that while Nick and Kieran were holding their jackets and 'snow' gear, they weren't actually doing anything with them. Shaking off his confusion, he started up the stairs with Sammy following him. They walked into the media room just as the movie was finishing and were bombarded by two tired toddlers.

"mama, want stay up. maddocks said der gunna be fireworks." Trixie murmured, burying her forehead into Sammy's thigh.

"yeah, daddy. wants ta watch." Elijah added, climbing up into his dads arms.

"Sorry guys, but the fireworks aren't going to be for a few hours yet. You won't make it that long." Greg said, kissing Elijah's temple.

"aww."

Nick and Kieran met them at the door to Elijah's room, "Where did you put Dakota?" Sammy asked, peering into Elijah's room and noting that the pack and play set wasn't in there.

"He's in Rayne's room. This way if he wakes up, he won't bother these two. I've got the portable monitors set up." Kieran replied.

They placed the two toddlers on Elijah's bed, making sure they had water, Stitch, Trixie's crocheted blanket, and that the night light was on. They both got kisses from all four adults and Sammy and Greg tucked them in.

When they got back downstairs, Nick and Kieran stopped them from continuing on past the entry, "Jackets back on." Nick said, handing Greg his while Kieran helped Sammy into hers.

Confusion was back full force, only to grow stronger as Nick held up a black, crushed velvet cloth, "Trust me?"

"You know I do cowboy." Greg said with a soft smile.

Nick nodded and stepped behind him, leaving Sammy facing him. Greg met her eyes with raised eyebrows just before the cloth strips were placed over their eyes. Nick kissed the back of his neck before moving back around in front of him and taking his hands, "All right, just follow me."

"Right. Not much of a choice there." He snickered when Nick punched his arm.

They were led towards the kitchen and out through the back doors. Greg suppressed a shiver when they stepped out into the outdoor hallway leading to the patio. Because of the time, it had to be down to around forty degrees and he hoped they weren't going to be out here all that long.

It wasn't long until he felt warmth on his face and he knew then that they had reached the patio. There was a fire going in the fireplace for the first time since his aunt and uncle died. He wondered briefly how long in took the two men to clean it but let the thought go when Nick stopped walking and turned him so he was half facing away from the fire.

"You two ready?" Kieran asked, excitement very audible in the black mans voice.

Both Greg and Sammy nodded and then promptly gasped as the blindfolds were pulled away. Before them was a scene rarely seen outside the ski-slopes of Nevada. Snow was completely covering the back yard and thanks to the overcast night, and whatever it was the two men had done, it actually looked like it was snowing down around them from the heavens.

Greg looked over his shoulder towards the fireplace and saw that the furniture had been pushed towards the house and a large fleece blanket and throw pillows had been spread out on the stone floor. Other than the fire, the only other lights were coming from the garden lamps that Greg had edged the fence around the yard with and white Christmas bulbs that were still strung on top of the fence, left over from the week before.

"Nick..." Greg said, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat and gave his lover a tremulous smile, "This is amazing."

Nick shrugged, "It was Kieran's idea. Apparently _somebody_ couldn't get over the fact that she wasn't going to have snow for the holidays."

Sammy laughed and kissed her husband before pulling away and walking to the edge of patio. She bent over and ran her fingers through the white stuff and her eyes opened wide, "This is _real_ snow!"

"Of course it is." Kieran said with a laugh, "Could you imagine the mess if we had used soap flake snow in the yard? This is clean and by tomorrow afternoon it'll have melted nicely. Same kind of machines they use at ski resorts."

Sammy's awed look fell away and was replaced by a mischievous one that caused Greg to grin. He knew exactly what his friend was thinking. He looked down at himself and shrugged. If he got too wet, he could always go change. He sprinted past Sammy and out into the yard. He bent over and scooped up a handful of the snow and formed it into a ball. Before Greg had a chance to actually throw his snowball, one lobbed him in the back of the head.

He whipped around and scowled at a laughing Sammy. Since she was fairly preoccupied with her humor Greg let his fly, letting out a "Boo-ya!" when it smacked her on the top of the head. The war was on.

While they indulged themselves in the play of kids, Nick and Kieran busied themselves with setting up the rest of their idea. They brought out two bottles of iced champagne, trays of sandwiches, vegetables, and two fondues, one a cheese and the other a chocolate for dessert. They arranged them on the blanket with the two fondue pots in the middle. The desserts were brought out last and it was a vast array of fruits, cookies, and a small cooler of cheesecake balls.

Once they had the food set up, they joined their lovers out in the snow. Greg and Sammy had forgone the snowball fight and were now working on making the 'perfect' snowman, not an easy task with only an inch of snow on the ground. Nick couldn't help but pause a few feet away from Greg and take in the sight of his boyfriend.

Greg's cheeks were flushed from the cold and his laughter. His hair was dripping wet and cold enough so that the snow, which was falling from the makers placed around the yard, was settling on the top strands and were glinting in the soft light. The snowflakes were also settling on his eyelashes and dusting his cheeks briefly before melting from his body heat.

Nick had to restrain himself from grabbing Greg in a fireman carry and dragging him up to their room. He was pretty sure, though, that Kieran wouldn't like being left with the cleanup, a thought that helped steel him from grabbing his lover and running off.

After awhile, Greg and Sammy went inside to change, Dakota waking up forcing the issue. Nick and Kieran and managed to stay pretty dry having missed the snowball fight and avoiding the snow angels that Greg and Sammy made once the snowman was finished. They both shucked out of their jackets and laid them near the hearth to dry, leaving them both in knitted sweaters.

Both were gifts they had received the week before. Kieran's was a powder blue color with cream colored stripes around the wrists and waist that matched the sweater Sammy was wearing. Nick's was a charcoal gray corded sweater that he had gotten from his sister Aly. It was rather snug fitting around the chest and Kieran kept hitting his arm every time he moved to pull at it.

"Will you stop it?" Kieran exclaimed after what had to be the tenth time, "That fidgeting is driving me nuts. Why the hell did you wear it if you're uncomfortable in it?"

Nick shook his head, "It itches. I cut the tag off cause it was sewn into the seam under the arm. Doing that just made the itching worse, though."

"Dumb ass." Kieran said with a laugh and sat down.

Nick put on some music, a Kenny G. CD that Kieran and brought over from the guest house. It had Auld Lang Syne as the last track which would actually end up playing around midnight if they left it on that long, which was a happy coincidence.

Greg made it back outside first, his jeans and shoes replaced with a dry pair. Noticing that the two men on the patio had taken off their jackets, he pulled his off as well, leaving him in his zip up hoodie with a long sleeved shirt underneath. He dropped his coat on top of Nick's and turned to wrap his arms around Nick's waist, "This is so cool. I haven't seen snow since my freshman year of college when uncle Rick and aunt Sabine took me up to New York for the last time."

Nick kissed Greg and smiled, "Glad you like it."

"Mm, love it...love you." Greg whispered, burying his face at the crook of Nick's neck and shoulder.

"You too babe." Nick slipped one arm around Greg's back and shoulders and rested his other hand on Greg's hip. He started a swaying motion in time to the song playing, now fully ignoring his brother-in-law and sister as he urged Greg to dance with him.

It wasn't long until Greg pulled away from Nick. He gave the Texan an apologetic look, "I'm kinda hungry."

Nick nodded and they moved over to the blanket, joining Kieran and Sammy, "You two looked so sweet. Got some good pictures to send to mama and dad." Sammy said, smiling over her champagne flute.

Nick chose to ignore that and asked, "How long till midnight?"

"Mm," Sammy looked at her wrist, "'bout an hour and a half."

The two couples set about eating and talking, all of them having fun feeding their significant others the vegetables and cheese fondue. Greg and Sammy, both still in humorous moods, took the time to feed each other as well, much to the amusement of Kieran and Nick. At eleven thirty, Nick brought the left-over sandwiches and vegetables into the house while Kieran turned on the chocolate pot to warm it up and followed his brother-in-law inside with the cheese.

"This has been a really great night." Sammy said, once the guys were in the house, "I can honestly say I didn't think either of them had it in them to pull something this spectacular off."

Greg shrugged and took a sip of his hot chocolate. He had passed on the champagne, not really in the mood to drink that night, "I'm more surprised at _what_ they pulled off. Nick can have some awfully romantic ideas sometimes but this...I never would have thought of this."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Sammy finished her champagne off and set the glass off to the side, "Pour me out some of what you're having will you? I don't want any more champagne."

"Well, that was a waste." Nick said, walking back out, "Could have saved forty dollars if we had gone for just hot chocolate."

Sammy smiled at her brother as he dropped down behind Greg, "Could have, but it was still awfully sweet of you to get it. Just not in the mood for it. I think it's the snow." She leaned back against Kieran when he sat down.

"That's all right. I don't really think we need the champagne." Kieran said. He leaned around his wife and flipped the switch for his Sirius Satellite Radio, "We found the station broadcasting the countdown from Times Square. It's better than lugging a TV out here."

They spent the following half an hour listening to the commentator on the station, the volume set low, and just sipping their drinks. Both Nick and Kieran had switched to the hot chocolate as well, deciding to put the rest of the champagne, a whole bottle and a half, away for another time.

When the commentator announced a minute 'till midnight, Nick stood up and shut off the CD player, "They're gunna play it on the radio anyways." He said when he got three curious looks at his actions, "Turn it up a bit will you?" He then asked, while pulling Greg to his feet.

Kieran did so and Nick led Greg out into the yard and behind the fireplace to give the other couple some semblance of privacy. Nick pulled Greg into his arms and hugged him, "This year has been amazing, you know." He said, resting his forehead on Greg's.

Greg smiled, "Hectic as well." He paused and then said after a moment, "I'm glad you were there for most of it."

"If you think about it though, some of the things that happened probably wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been there." Nick said thoughtfully.

"So? Nick, it's those kinds of things that help us grow as people. I know that the events of the last few months are going to help shape Elijah. _You_ are helping him to grow as well and I'm glad that it's your values that are going to be instilled in him. He's going to grow into an amazing person with you around."

Nick tightened his arms around Greg's waist but didn't say anything. They heard the commentator announce the fifteen second mark and Greg raised his fingers and wrapped them into Nick's hair. At ten seconds he laughed, "Can you feel the tension mounting? It feels like something we don't know about is going to happen." six seconds, "I love you."

Four seconds, "I love you too." Nick said, lifting his forehead from Greg's, "Happy New Years."

Greg leaned in and pressed his lips to Nick's just as the first fireworks shot into the sky in the distance, heralding the new year.

TBC...

See? Fluff...pure, unadulterated fluff. Ah, well...Christmas and all that jazz. So, I hope you enjoyed... Ciao.


	24. Chapter 23 January 2003

Ok, didn't I tell you the last chapter was sappy to the max? Also, I'm sure there were a few of you who thought that New Years was a bit...overdone, but really, it wasn't all that much and with Sammy missing snow it seemed logical and shows how much Kieran loves his wife.

Thank you all for the fabulous reviews!

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January, 2003

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Nick paced the halls of the lab, lost in thought. It wasn't his case that he was worried about, as he had closed it a half an hour before hand, but rather it was something he had been thinking about since November. Blythe's call about Elijah had only solidified his decision and he had decided that valentines day, which was just barely a month away, would be the perfect time to put it into action.

As he walked down the halls, he nearly jumped out of his skin when Grissom stepped out of his office, "That's the third time you've wandered by, Nicky. Are you bored or is there something bothering you?"

"Just thinking about something, Gris. It's making me antsy." Nick said, still half in thought.

Grissom just looked at him for a moment, "Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help." He turned and went back into his office.

Nick nodded, more to himself then to Grissom who wouldn't have seen it anyway, and started down the hall again. After a few feet, he stopped and turned back to Grissom's office and poked his head through the door after knocking on the jam, "Actually Gris, have you got a few? I could use some 'fatherly' advice."

Grissom stammered an affirmative, clearly uncomfortable with the parental tag, "What's on your mind, Nicky my boy?"

Nick sat down in one of the chairs across from his supervisor. After several minutes spent in a somewhat strained silence, Grissom spoke again. "Nick...I can't help you if I don't know what's going on."

Nick shook his head slightly as he scratched the back of it, "Right, sorry." He paused, "I want to ask Greg to marry me. Well, I guess it'd be more like a commitment ceremony."

"Well...I guess congratulations are in order," Grissom said with a genuine smile. "I knew things were getting serious with the two of you, but I had no idea it had progressed to this point. I'm happy for you, Nick." He leaned back in the chair, "Are you concerned about the implications about this arrangement here in the lab? I can look into if you like, but since the 'marriage' won't be legally recognized, I don't think there is anything to worry about," Grissom offered, hoping that was the source of Nick's consternation.

"Uh, no. I hadn't actually thought about that." Nick replied, "I'm just about stuck on everything else, though. We've kind of been skirting the norm when it comes to, ah, romance and I wanna stay with that but...I can't think of anything."

"I'm sorry, I don't think I understand," Grissom said, feigning ignorance, hoping Nick wasn't implying a desire for his advice on things of a romantic or, he shuddered to think, sexual nature.

Nick stared at Grissom for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts, "I want to ask him on Valentines day but I don't want anything to do with candy, flowers and hearts. Thats just too...feminine? See, we always try to shoot for unique things like bringing snow to Vegas or renting a private beach or something. I don't know if I can top all of that."

"I see, but I hardly think that I'm the one you should be coming to for advice on this. I'm not exactly versed in this subject, Nick. Why don't you tell me what you have in mind and I'll see if I can lend you any ideas."

Nick slouched back in the chair, "Well, I know he misses the beach." He said, shrugging

"Yes, I do seem to recall him saying something about missing the ocean once or twice...a day for the last two years," The night shift supervisor said with a touch of humor. "Have you thought about taking him to LA for the weekend and having a nice dinner on the beach?"

"It crossed my mind to do something like that, but we've taken enough time off the past few months. Cindy actually told Greg that it's emergencies only that she'll work for him until they're even again."

Grissom sat for a moment, lost in thought before he spoke again. "I may have an idea. I did some consulting work a while back for one of the trainers at the Mirage. Are you familiar with their Trainer-for-a-Day attraction that deals with dolphins? I know how much Greg enjoys the ocean and it's certainly something unique."

Nick straightened up, "That sounds perfect, Gris! Do you know what I'll have to do? That's gotta be a huge thing, though. It's probably already booked." He slumped back, defeated by the thought.

"You give up too soon, Nick. Let me make a couple of phone calls and see if I can call in a favor or two. I'll get back to you before shift tomorrow."

Nick gave his boss a broad smile, "Thanks Gris. This means a lot to me." He stood up and started out of the office, but paused by the door, "It also takes care of part of the problem."

-----

Grissom strode into the break room in search of Nick the next evening. Finding him on the couch talking quietly with his soon-to-be fiance, he spoke calmly so as not to arouse any suspicion in the wild-haired lab tech. "Nick, could I see you in my office for a few minutes? I have a some questions about your report on the case at the Mirage last month," he threw in the last part knowing that the younger man would catch the hint.

"Yeah, sure Grissom." Nick said, catching on to what his boss wanted right away. He stood up and tugged gently on one of Greg's spikes, "I'll see you later, G."

Once they had reached the privacy of his office, Grissom smiled broadly at Nick. "I told you yesterday that you gave up too quickly. What good are my connections if I don't use them to help my team when they need it? Greg has a private session booked for Valentine's Day with their head trainer and Splashy, their most playful dolphin. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of also booking a suite for the night and I've already fixed the schedule so that you will have the 13th off." When he noted Nick's amazement, he added with a grin, "I may be inexperienced but I'm not hopeless!"

Nick dropped down on the chair closest to him and managed to find his voice, "Gris, that sounds great but Cindy..."

"Is taken care of. She'll work for Greg in the lab on the 13th and Sara will cover for you. I already talked to them about it. Cindy actually came up with the idea of asking Greg to work for her Saturday night and she'll offer to work Thursday. It won't be too suspicious and I think he'll jump on it if you mention that you have that night off as well."

"Wow. You really thought this through."

"Of course. Now, have you given any thought to a ring, because I was thinking about the tradition of giving engagement rings in the first place..."

Nick sagged back against the back of the chair, "That was the other part of the problem and the whole traditional thing pops up again every time I think about it."

Grissom nodded, "There was a custom that had been practiced from around the middle ages through the late eighteen hundreds before it fell out of practice. It was called the Gimmal ring. It's a series of separate rings that forms one ring when interlocked. During engagement period, one of each of the rings was worn by the bride, the groom and a special witness. All were brought together on the wedding day and worn by the bride."

"That sounds...really cool, actually."

"Of course, they're not made anymore, so if you were to go with that concept it will have to be specially made. It will also stand as the actual wedding ring when together, so you'll have to find something similar that you would wear as well." Grissom pushed a packet across the desk, "That's the info for the trainer and for the hotel. There are also several jewelers listed once you come up with an idea for the ring so you can get different quotes. They won't overcharge, but it won't be cheap either."

Nick took the packet and smiled, "Thanks again Gris. This is all...Greg's gunna flip." He tapped the desk with the folder, "The third ring...you said a witness wore it?"

Grissom nodded, wondering where Nick was going with this, "That's right."

"Would you consider doing it? I'd ask my sister, but she's got really small fingers and..."

"I'd be honored." Grissom said after a moment, returning Nick's smile with one of his own.

-----

Greg tapped his pencil on the table, watching idly as it bounced on the eraser. He was caught up for the moment and thinking about Nick. His Texan had been acting a bit...off, the last few weeks or so. More secretive and a hell of a lot more quiet. Granted, a quiet Nick wasn't something that would raise alarms, but this felt almost sneaky. And then tonight he goes and takes _Archie_ out into the field.

He totally didn't have anything against Archie, in fact the Asian tech was one of his best friends, but what the hell did Nick need him for? He dropped the pencil and raised his head from his fist when he caught sight of Nick walking down the hallway. He had to admit, Nick looked damn good in that leather jacket. Shaking off that thought, he stood up and went to the door, "Hey Stokes."

Nick glanced over his shoulder, "Yeah?"

Greg made an aborted gesture with his hand, "We gotta talk."

Nick stopped and pointed the folder he was holding at Greg, "Hey, did you ID that scraping from my vic's head wound yet?"

"Yeah, yeah it's a common plastic, polyethylterephthalate...PET...used in everything from garbage bags, to magnetic tape, to floppy disks."

"Okay, thanks." Nick turned and made an aborted step into the A/V lab.

"Yeah, but that's not what I wanted to talk about." Greg added quickly.

Nick turned back around, face serious, "What then?"

Greg nodded his head, motioning for Nick to move closer. Nick drew his eyebrows together and lowered his head a bit in confusion but didn't move, so Greg nodded again. This time, Nick's serious look was over come with one of bemusement as he stepped closer to his lover.

"Look, I thought we had a relationship. What are you doing taking Archie out into the field instead of me?" Greg muttered, pointing to his friend around Nick's arm.

Nick laughed, "It's the right tool for the right job, man. You have to understand the world you're investigating." Greg crossed his arms and leaned against the door jam, raising and lowering his eyebrows quickly in an 'prove it' sort of way. Nick held up a finger and turned to the A/V lab, "Hey Archie?"

Archie looked up and out into the hallway, "Yeah?"

"Hey, what's that Star Trek episode where the guy's got the forehead thingy and the time portal...?" He trailed off and Greg cocked his head to the side to see his friend around Nick.

"In classic, TNG, DS9, Voyager, or Enterprise?"

Nick looked back at Greg with a smug look on his face, which had Greg straightening up and dropping his arms, "Point taken." He said, before turning and walking back into the DNA lab, irked.

Now he felt like a dumb ass. He walked out the opposite set of doors and went to the break room, giving Jacqui a tight smile as he walked in, "Hey hun." He muttered while he poured himself a cup of coffee.

Jacqui looked up from her magazine, "Everything okay? You look a little..." She trailed off.

"Irritated? I just made a fool of myself, except this time it wasn't on purpose so it's kind of bothering me."

"What did you do?"

"I asked Nick why he took Archie out into the field instead of me." He mumbled into his coffee cup. The words were jumbled up and buried in ceramic, so it was no surprise when Jacqui re-asked her question. Greg sighed and dropped down across from the print tech, "I asked Nick why he took Archie into the field instead of me."

Jacqui stared at him for a moment, "Okay and he explained it right? I mean, that's hardly anything to be upset over."

"It was the way I phrased it, making it seem like because we're dating he should take me. Normally I wouldn't care, but it seems like he's been avoiding me lately." Greg sighed, "He spent the last two weeks when we weren't sleeping either locked up in his den or out of the house, period. He hasn't spent any time with Elijah since Christmas and pretty much the same with me too, except for New Years."

"Have you thought to ask him if somethings wrong?"

Greg shook his head, "No, I probably should though. Maybe I will this afternoon after we sleep." He drained his mug and stood up, "Thanks, Jac, for lending an ear."

"Sure, no problem."

-----

Nick sighed as he set their breakfast on the island. Greg was up taking a shower, probably trying to avoid him. He wasn't sure why his lover was still upset about the other night. He had explained what happened and hadn't ragged him about it, although the thought had crossed his mind to do so.

Of course, it didn't help that he, himself, was pretty preoccupied with the ring design. It had taken a week since his talk with Grissom to find a ring that would work and then going over the specs with Sammy, who was sworn to secrecy about the whole thing. He was also wondering if Greg knew something was up.

He dished out the food and went to get Elijah, who was bouncing around the family room, "Eli, stop that." He said, when he caught sight of the toddler jumping up and down on the coffee table. The cherry table, which had an inlaid stone top, was a remarkably sturdy structure, but it was wobbling dangerously every time Elijah landed on it. He didn't want his son to get hurt _or_ break the thing.

"Elijah, stop it. You're going to hurt yourself." He said, stepping into the room when the toddler continued to bounce away. His second warning had failed to stop the little red head and he felt a tightening of irritation and worry in his gut, "Elijah Henrik, that's enough. You're going to have a time out."

He had barely raised his voice, but it was enough. Elijah stopped jumping immediately, sat down on the table and started crying. Nick rubbed his temples and was just about to go and comfort the toddler when Greg ran into the room, "What the hell happened?" He pulled his son into his arms and frowned when Elijah pointed at Nick, still crying.

"G..."

"You made him cry? How could you do that? Here I am, trusting you with him and one of the times I'm not around he starts bawling his eyes out and you're the cause!" Greg exclaimed, face tight with anger.

Nick's mouth dropped open. What the hell?

Greg stood up and wiped his son's face off, "Why don't you go eat, babe." He put Elijah down and when the toddler was out of the room he faced Nick, "You had no right to do anything that would make him cry like that. What were you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I was being a father just like you wanted me to be! He was either going to hurt himself or break the damned table. I had to do something." Nick said, clenching his hands.

"What do you mean by 'something.'" Greg practically hissed.

"Jesus, you actually think I hit him? I'm all the way over here, for one thing. Two, I would never lay a hand on a kid like that! I can't believe you think I'd do something like that."

Greg threw his hands up, "I don't! But all I know is I come down here and you're angry and my son is crying. What the hell does that tell me?"

"Your son...will you listen to yourself? You said you wanted me to be a part of your family, calling me Elijah's other father and saying he's _ours_ and when I tell him he's in time out for jumping on the table and not listening to me, you suddenly call the shots?" Nick started pacing and ignored Greg when he went to say something, "If you want this to be a 'real' family, and you definitely indicated that, I should not only be allowed to do it, but hell it should be expected!" He stopped pacing and slowly turned to Greg, "Maybe...maybe we should hold off on the whole family thing for awhile. I think you still need to think about it."

"No! No, you're right. God, I..." Greg wiped his hand over his face, "I'm sorry. I should have had you explain what happened first, but damn it, it's a gut reaction when he cries like that when I'm not around. I know you would never hit him and I never should have implied that."

"You think?"

Greg snorted and sank down onto the couch, "This is why anger is a very bad thing. Rational thinking just flies right out along with common sense. I think, if we're going to get past this without it happening again, we need to talk to Elijah. He can't blame you for doing something you're supposed to do like you're the bad guy...well, if you start punishing him you will be the bad guy until he's over being mad, but this crying thing has got to be stopped, otherwise my gut reactions are going to tear us apart." He waved his hand between them in emphasis.

"You jumped to his defense rather quickly without listening to my side of things." Nick said, shoving his hands in his pockets, "Is this what you want, Greg? Are you sure you're ready to share a life _and_ your son with me?"

Greg jumped to his feet and slammed his hand over Nick's mouth. He narrowed his eyes, "Of course I'm sure! All this is is another bump that popped up that we need to iron out. It hasn't happened before so how were we to expect it? Let's just fix it so it doesn't happen again."

Nick stared Greg straight in the face. There was no anger left, nor was there any doubt as to what was going on. Just steely determination and a crap load of love. He nodded. Greg smiled and pulled his hand away, "Good. Now lets go talk to _our_ son."

They walked into the kitchen and instead of sitting in their usual places at the island with Greg next to Elijah and Nick across from him, they both sat down across from the toddler. Elijah looked at them, fork shoved in his mouth and eyes still red from his crying. He had the look of someone who knew something was coming, but wasn't sure if it was going to be good or bad.

"Nicky and I need to talk to you, Elijah." Greg said. He reached across the marble counter and gently tugged the fork out of Elijah's mouth.

"what bout?"

"Well," Nick and Greg exchanged looks and Greg plowed on when Nick just raised his eyebrows, "about before and you not listening to Nick." He cleared his throat, wondering how they were going to explain this to a three-year-old.

An idea went off in Nick's head and before Greg could start stumbling into some sort of explanation, he decided to run with it, "You know how some families, like Trixie's and Lindsey's, have a mommy and daddy?"

Elijah frowned, "lindy has aunty cathy. no daddy."

"Okay, that may be so, but do you get what I'm saying?" Nick asked, "Besides, Warrick could sort of be considered Lindsey's dad."

Elijah nodded his head slowly, "yeah, i get. why?"

Greg grasped Nick's idea figuratively with both hands, "Well, babe, not all families are like that. There are little kids who have two mommies and no daddy, or two daddies and no mommy, like Jenna."

"I got daddy and nicky. i good." Elijah reached out to his dad imploringly while looking at his fork, "i eat?"

"Er, not yet. See, sproglet, you actually have two daddies now. Nicky's your other daddy." Greg paused, "And because of that, when he tells you not to do something, you have to listen just like you would to me."

Elijah kicked his foot against the island while he thought about that, "k. i still time-out?" He asked Nick, his brown eyes as wide and innocent as he could make them.

Nick shook his head, "No. Just _don't_ do it again."

"k...what i call nicky if he daddy?"

"Well, you can't call both of us daddy. It would get confusing all around." Greg handed Elijah his fork, "Do you _want_ to call him something other than Nicky?"

"he daddy. need daddy name." Elijah dug the fork back into his cheese ladened eggs.

Greg looked at Nick and shrugged, "I don't know. Jenna calls Bobby and Randy daddy and papa, but I think papa would be a little weird."

"no papa. papa take-ed by papa olaf." Elijah said, interrupting Greg.

"And its already taken." Greg laughed and then sighed, "Well, there are other names that mean daddy. There's dad, da, pa, pops, pappy, poppy...I don't know..."

Elijah grinned and looked at Nick, "like poppy. dat okay?"

Nick stood up and reached across the table to rub his fingers through Elijah's hair, "That sounds great, little man."

-----

TBC...


	25. Chapter 24 January 2003

We had this huge ass snowstorm on Sunday! According to Fox news, we got over 11 inches that day. Wasn't all that surprising that I got stuck in the driveway when I was going to work that night.

Thank you for all of your reviews, and I hope that you like this chapter just as much as the previous ones. Ciao.

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January

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Nick popped open the stereo in the family room and let out a groan. All ten of the CD slots were filled with Greg's CD's. He wasn't surprised, but he'd have to put them all away unless he wanted his ear drums blown out when they hit the rotation. He started the tedious task of returning the CD's to their cases, glad for his parents Christmas gift to Greg of the CD dividers. It made hunting down the cases much more easy.

When he pulled out the case for the second to last CD in the player and opened it, he was surprised to find a picture of a very tiny baby wrapped up in a piglet outfit with it's knees drawn up to it's chest and it's mitten covered hands in fists by it's face. He slipped the picture from the case cover and looked at the back._ Elijah Henrik, age two months_ was scrawled on the back in Greg's handwriting. The picture must have been taken just after Greg had brought him home from the hospital.

Nick set the case down on top of the stereo and sat down on the couch behind him. He ran a finger along the edge of Elijah's face with a soft smile. What he wouldn't give to have known Greg and their amazing son from the beginning. To have been there for his first steps, his first words, all of his firsts. It was a bittersweet feeling, as he knew they had a lot more firsts to go yet with Elijah and now he would be a part of them.

"Mom took that the day I brought him home. She couldn't wait to dress him up in all of the little outfits she had bought for him. At the time, though, I don't think she quite grasped how small he was. That pajama set was the only one that fit him for the following three months." Greg said, sliding his arm along Nick's shoulders as he perched on the edge of the couch.

"When did his freckles show up?"

"Right around the time he started to fit into more clothes and once they started popping up they didn't really stop. His aren't as bad as Blythe's though. The concentration of them on her nose was enough to make her look like she had a permanent tan there." Greg sighed.

Nick brought the picture closer to his face, "You know, with the pale eyelashes, it's really noticeable that he has your eyes."

Greg nodded and turned his attention from his favorite baby photo of Elijah to Nick. The expression on the Texans face was wistful looking, "You okay?"

"Yeah, just wish that I had known you and him before." Nick replied.

Before Greg had a chance to say something, the land line rang. He stood up and went into the kitchen. A glance at the caller ID showed it to be Malcolm's law firm number in Vegas, "Sanders residence."

//May I please speak with Greg Sanders?//

"Speaking."

//Mr. Sanders, this is Richard Pyre from Petersen Fox and Eads LLC.//

Greg rolled his eyes. He had spoken to the attorney Malcolm had found for them about three times now since the first of the year, and each time the man called, he never forgot to inform them of which firm he worked for, "What can I do for you Mr. Pyre?"

//I have arrived at our Las Vegas branch. About twenty minutes before phoning you, I received a call from the Stanfield lawyer. A supervised visit has been set up.//

"What? Why?"

//I believe it wasn't their choice, but on order of the judge presiding over the case. He would like to see Blythe Stanfield's interactions with your son.//

Greg frowned. He really wasn't liking the sound of all this, "When?"

The shuffling of papers was audible through the phone//Next week, on Monday. The judge took into account yours and Mr. Stokes hours and scheduled it for four o'clock that afternoon. It will be at the courthouse on Venture Ave.//

Greg wrote the information down on the pad of paper hanging next to the phone, "All right. Anything else?"

//Not that I can think of.// Richard paused//I wouldn't worry. If the judge is ordering a supervised visit, that means he's taking in Ms. Stanfield's past actions. This could actually be a very good thing.//

"I hope you're right, Mr. Pyre." Greg said, looking out the kitchen window. How was he going to make it through that without breaking down completely?

-----

Greg walked into the diner and hastily shut the door behind him to block out the cold air. He shivered a bit as he looked around. Bobby was sitting at a window booth, scanning over the menu in front of him while chatting with Jenna. The six-year-old, who had her fathers wavy, sandy brown hair, was dressed in lace and pigtails. He wondered if her 'mother' got a hold of her that morning as neither Bobby nor Randy would consciously help their daughter dress like that.

He made his way to the booth and slid in across from the two Dawson's, "Couldn't wait for me, could you." He stated, amused.

Bobby looked up at him and gave him a lopsided grin, "Naw, me and Jen were getting hungry. Besides, you're late."

"Only by ten minutes. There was an accident on the highway. Traffic was backed up big time." He looked up as the waitress walked to their table with a menu for him, "I'll have a mountain dew and the grilled cheeseburger." He always got the same thing here. It was often that he wondered why they still bothered to bring him a menu.

"Same for us." Bobby said, handing the waitress his and Jenna's menus. They had their drinks already.

Greg shuffled out of his coat as he eyed Jenna, who was playing with the diners table trivia game, "Why you toting short stuff around?" He asked, sticking his tongue out at the aforementioned girl when she raised her head to glare at him. The girl didn't speak unless it was absolutely necessary, though she wasn't in any way shy. She was also amazingly easy to read because of her expressive face.

"Randy had a parent teacher conference so she got stuck with dad." Bobby took a sip of his soda as he looked at Greg, "How you holdin' up?"

"Could be worse. I think I'm still in shock about the whole thing and worrying about Nick isn't helping. Well, that's taking my mind off of Blythe and her mechanisms." Greg said, not noticing that he had started to shred a napkin into little pieces.

Jenna watched his hands for a moment before setting down the trivia box and squirming under the table. She popped up on Greg's side and wrapped her arms around his arm and slid a hand underneath his, effectively putting a halt to his shredding. He smiled and bent over to kiss the top of her head, "Thanks sweetie."

Bobby was silent as his daughter played comforter but spoke up after a moment, "I thought you and Stokes were tight though."

Greg shrugged, "Been acting weird lately." He shifted his arm and dropped it down around Jenna's shoulders as he leaned back against the pale colored vinyl of the bench, "I'm not sure whats going on. Jacqui said I should just talk to him, but to be honest, I'm afraid of what I might find out."

Before Bobby had a chance to reply, the waitress came back with Greg's soda and the three baskets containing their food. Apparently, from the speed of receiving their food, the chef had anticipated their orders, even if the wait staff had not, "Here you go, guys." She placed the soda and two of the baskets down in front of the two men. She went to place Jenna's but paused when she saw that the six-year-old girl had switched sides on her. She shook her head and placed the basket in front of Jenna, "Anything else?"

Both Greg and Bobby looked at Jenna, who shook her head as she started in on her fries, "No, we're good, thanks." Greg said, going for his soda.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Bobby spoke up, bringing the previous topic back to hand, "You know, Greg, Valentines day is in a few weeks..."

Greg looked up at his friend, the burger in his hands pausing halfway to his mouth, "Has he said anything to you?"

"No, but I'm just saying. Maybe that's the reason he's been all quiet and stuff."

"We don't do hearts and flowers man, which is pretty much all Valentines is." Greg dropped his sandwich back into the basket, appetite gone, "I thought about that though. Elijah already picked out a Valentines gift for him and Nick and I both got Elijah his candy and card." he added, turning to look out the window over Jenna's head.

Bobby's eyebrow rose, "Have you gotten anything for Nick?"

Greg didn't answer right away. Something had caught his eye outside. A man wearing long blond hair in a ponytail and dressed in a thermal jacket was standing in front of a coffee shop, looking to be lost in thought, seemed vaguely familiar to the lab-tech. It took him a few moments to put together why and he straightened up in his seat when realization struck, "Thad." he hissed, clenching his hands on the table.

"You got Nick a...Thad? What?"

Greg shook his head and pointed out the window, "That guy across the street, in the blue jacket and ponytail. That's Nick's ex!"

Bobby leaned closer the window, "How about that. The way he's all bundled up, doesn't seem to be a native to Vegas."

"He's not. He's from Dallas. What the hell is he doing here?"

-----

The days following his 'lunch' with Bobby, and the sighting of the dreaded 'ex,' were some of the darkest Greg had ever experienced, especially with the mounting tension about the supervised visit. He and Nick had had several fights about whether to tell Elijah about was going on. Greg was vehemently against it and Nick felt that Elijah had a right to know who Blythe was before he was thrust into meeting her. Nick just couldn't grasp the fact that he was afraid that Elijah would form a bond with his mother and if that happened, they would lose their son.

"Greggo, come on, I know the little man is only three but he's a smart kid. If his mom is half as bad as you say, he'll figure it out."

"What if he doesn't Nick? What if he decides that he wants a rich mom he'll actually see, instead of two dads who work nights and that he sees for two hours a day tops?" In his worry, he exaggerated the actual time spent with Elijah, something Nick picked up on but didn't comment about since it wasn't the main issue.

"Babe, that isn't going to happen. You're the only parent he's known his whole life. You're his world just as much as he's yours and you both are mine. Everything is going to be fine, you'll see."

In the end, they had finally agreed to disagree so that Eli wouldn't hear them arguing about him. Now, five long days after the phone call from their attorney, Greg found himself fidgeting nervously in the passenger seat of the Tahoe. Nick usually drove when they went anywhere as a family, a fact he was grateful for now, as he was feeling too wound up to be considered a safe driver.

"whewe we go, daddy?" Elijah asked from his spot in the backseat, where he had Stitch clasped tightly in his mitten covered hands. Mittens were worn because, despite the lack of snow, it was still cold. Too cold for little hands to be free of any type of cover.

"Ah," Greg hesitated, "It's a surprise." Nick glared at him as he backed out of the garage, but Greg let out a soft smile despite that as Elijah let out a cheer.

Once they were safely on the way, Nick reached over and clasped his distraught lover's hand. When they came to a red light, he leaned over and looked him in the eye while whispering, "If you don't tell him, I will."

"No, I'll do it." the young lab-rat whispered in return and, choking back tears, he turned in his seat to face his...their son.

"Hey sproglet, you know how we talked about how every family is different? Like Maddox, Trixie and Dakota have a mommy and a daddy, and Lindsey just has a mommy?"

"and unca wick," Eli interjected, causing both men to laugh.

"Yeah, little man and Uncle 'Rick," Nick answered with a grin.

"Then there's kids like Jenna that have two dads. And sometimes there are really special little boys that go by the name Elijah that have two dads and a mom."

"hey, dat my name! elizah henwik sandews," exclaimed the diminutive red-head. "but i no hab mommy. i has two daddies. daddy and poppy!"

"Well, Eli, yes you do have two daddies, but you also have a mommy. She had to go far away when you were a baby, but now she's here and she wants to see you. That's where we're going right now actually. A place where you can see each other. Maybe you can show her the new song you learned at daycare this week." Greg felt his words begin to tumble out of control as his nervous habit of babbling kicked into high gear. He was about to say more when Elijah began crying.

"What's wrong little man?" Nick asked as he swung the truck into a parking place at the courthouse. Both he and Greg had felt no need to argue with the place chosen by the judge, especially because of Eli and his extreme fear of strangers. This way it would only expose him to his mother and not a whole lot of strangers who happened to be around whatever public place they might have gone to.

"no want mommy! i has daddy and poppy, no _need_ mommy!"

"Eli...come on little man, let's just go inside and meet your mom. She did come a long way just to see you, the least we can do is say hello." Nick paused and turned in his seat, taking in the stubborn jaw, the crossed arms, and the tear stained cheeks, "I'll make you a deal. Give her thirty minutes and then if you're still afraid, we'll go, okay?"

The toddler eyed him suspiciously. "you pwomise, poppy? you make watch beep an' i go home?" Nick had taken to setting the timer on his watch to help Elijah learn to deal with time limits as well as to help with his counting.

Greg finally found his voice again and spoke up. "We promise, sproglet. We'll leave after thirty minutes if you want to, but at least give her a chance."

"okay daddy," the frightened little boy answered as he reached out to be taken into Nick's arms after releasing himself from his car seat, a new trick that had resulted in a time out the week before, as the truck had been moving when he first figured it out. That was the time out that prompted Nick to start using his watch with the toddler.

The little family entered the courthouse, Elijah held tightly in Nick's right arm and Greg in his left. Nick was glad, for once, of the time he'd spent in the courthouse during his years as a CSI. He didn't think he could have held it together if they'd had to search for the proper office. As it was, he was having difficulty negotiating the halls with the still sniffling toddler clutched in one arm and dragging his increasingly agitated lover along with the other.

"I can't do this Nick." Greg moaned, his voice cracking as they turned down the final hall that would lead them to their destination. Upon hearing this, Nick took a small detour and steered the distraught man into a nearby restroom.

Setting Elijah down on the counter, Nick pulled Greg into his arms and held him tightly, kissing away the tears that were now coursing down his cheeks in earnest. "Babe, listen to me. It's going to be fine. I talked to my dad yesterday. He said this is just a formality that we have to submit to and the less of a big deal we make about it, the easier it will all be especially given Blythe's history. Now, you have to be calm for Eli. You know that if you're upset, he'll go ballistic."

Taking a steadying breath before moving slowly out of Nick's embrace, Greg set his jaw and prepared to see a woman he hadn't seen in more than three years. He splashed some water on his face, checked Elijah's pull up, a precaution taken in light of being thrust into an unknown situation, and leaned down to pick up the boy.

"want poppy cawwy me. please daddy?"

Greg smiled down at his son, "He makes you feel safe, doesn't he Eli? I know exactly what you mean. He makes me feel safe too."

The child nodded and pressed his fist to his mouth, the closest he could get to thumb sucking with his mittens on, as he was hoisted up into the Texans loving arms. They left the bathroom and walked the rest of the way down the hall. Their attorney was already there, seated on the pew-like benches that lined the halls of the courthouse.

Richard Pyre rose to his feet when the young family was within his sights. It was their first time seeing the lawyer in person and his appearance was a bit of a shock. He was only five foot eight at the most with a large receding hairline and thick glasses hiding his eyes. He stood with a straight back however and shook both of their hands firmly while he introduced himself...and the firm he worked for...again.

"We have a bit of a problem." Richard said after the formalities were taken care of, while motioning for Nick and Greg to sit.

Both men declined and Greg perked up at this, "What kind of problem? She didn't show up?"

Richard shook his head, "No, she has arrived...along with her parents."

"She...brought her parents?" Nick asked, his voice giving away his confusion.

"Or they brought her." Richard took his own offering and dropped back down onto the bench, "My first glimpse of them was brief, but Blythe Stanfield seemed rather aloof. Almost as if she wanted to be someplace else."

Greg snorted, "Maybe she doesn't like courthouses."

Richard nodded, "That could very well be the case." He stood back up with a sigh after checking his watch, "We might as well go inside. We're not waiting on anybody and the observer will be watching from video feed." He walked to the door and looked over his shoulder at them while he reached for the doorknob, "Just keep it simple and relax. Don't give away that you're nervous or they'll bite onto that like sharks. Have you brought anything of Elijah's? Something that could strike a common interest or keep him occupied?"

Greg held up Elijah's plastic backpack, "His 'go' bag. We just leave it in the truck so whatever is in here is all we got."

"That's fine." Richard opened the door and stepped inside, leaving the two men and the toddler to follow him.

Greg's fingers dug into Nick's arm and Elijah's head went to Nick's neck as soon as he caught sight of the other participants in the room. There were four people standing by the window, the Stanfield's and their lawyer.

Greg recognized Blythe right away as she hadn't changed much in the past few years. Her curly, dark auburn hair was pulled back into a ponytail with her bangs sweeping across her forehead from one side and her makeup was flawless. She was wearing a dark gray turtleneck and a tan knee length skirt with knee high boots that matched the outfit.

Her parents were easy to pick out as well. Old, crusty and fake were the best adjectives that Greg could come up with as he looked them over. Emerson Stanfield was in a sports coat and matching slacks. One of his hands was thrust in his pocket with part of the coat pushed back behind his arm. Greg was amused by the fact that he was actually standing like that. He always figured it to be a pose from magazines to show off a pants fit around the waist. Stanfield's eyes had a distant look to them, almost as if he felt he didn't belong in the same room as the 'peons' around him.

His wife had the pinched and distasteful look of someone who was in the presence of a CSI after they had just worked a decomp. Her makeup was as flawless as her daughters, though her dyed blond hair was cut into a bob that hung around her shoulders with not a strand out of place most likely because of the overuse of hairspray. She was clad in a pink 'ski bunny' sweater and a skirt that matched her daughters. Her arms were crossed and her eyes had narrowed in on the hand Greg was gripping Nick's arm with.

Richard cleared his throat, "Mister and Mrs. Stanfield, Miss. Stanfield, Mister Sanders has arrived for your visit with Elijah."

"Emerson." All three Stanfield's said, eyes falling on the three-year-old who was steadily working his way onto Nick's back and out of sight.

Richard's face darkened slightly at that, "Until he is in your custody, meaning approved by the judge, his name is not to be changed because of one of your whims. His name is Elijah and he will be called as such."

Nick ushered Greg over to one of the couches and turned so Greg could pull Elijah off of his back. Elijah climbed right back into Nick's arms once they were sitting.

"Who are you?" Mrs. Stanfield asked, pointing at Nick.

"I'm Nick Stokes." He wrapped an arm around Greg's shoulders, smiling at the frown it brought to all three of the Stanfield's faces, "I'm Greg's partner."

"Stokes...Stokes..." Blythe murmured upon hearing Nick's accent, which she mistakenly thought of as Georgian, "Are you by any chance of the Valatosa Stokes?"

"No ma'am." Nick said looking over at her, "I'm from the Dallas Stokes. As in justice Bill Stokes and Texas state attorney Jillian Stokes."

Blythe didn't manage to keep the look of surprise off of her face from the implication of that as she turned to look at her parents. Mrs. Stanfield shook her head, "It matters little. May we see..._Elijah_, or do you plan to keep him hidden behind you for the duration of the visit?"

Elijah had again wormed his way around Nick and was peaking over his shoulder that the four people across the room, his hands, still encased in his mittens, gripping Nick's jacket.

"He's shy and it takes a while for him to warm up to new people." Greg said, not looking at them. He instead faced his son, "Come on sproglet, lets get you out of that coat. We may have settled on a short time limit, but thats still too long to be all bundled up."

"k." Elijah whispered, inching slowly towards his father.

"Has he had any schooling?"

Greg glanced at Stanfield before rolling his eyes. His voice was just as crusty sounding as he looked. He pulled Elijah's mittens off and stuffed them in his own pocket along with the small pompom adorned hat. He used his fingers to tame the wild fly aways of his auburn curls before helping Elijah out of his winter coat.

They had dressed him in a sweater and a pair of khaki's, figuring his usual wardrobe of jeans, a t-shirt and a zip up hoodie wouldn't go over particularly well. Elijah had not been amused by the clothes, claiming at first that the wool sweater was far too itchy to wear. Until Greg mentioned that 'aunt' Rayne had made it, which had Elijah agreeing to go with it.

"He's three, Mister Stanfield." Nick replied, his voice confused. He accepted Elijah back into his arms and Greg held up Stitch with an amused sigh. Elijah had stowed him away inside his jacket. He handed the clown to the toddler who snuggled it happily.

"Yes, we know. There is an excellent preparatory school in Virginia that we are considering for him. Of course, enrollment is a little difficult without prior education, but I'm sure something can be arranged." Stanfield said while pouring himself a cup of coffee from the pot in the corner of the room.

"I don't believe this." Nick said, "You don't send a three-year-old to a prep school!"

"Nick..." Greg shook his head and whispered, "Not the best time. Let him ramble."

Mrs. Stanfield was the first one to brave the gap separating the two groups. She stood in front of them and cocked her head to the side. It made her look like a chicken in Greg's mind, "He's a bit small but we were told he will probably grow out of that. Good coloring. Looks like his mother." She reached out to grab his arm only to have Elijah jerk away and start crying.

As she backed away at the noise, Greg only shrugged, "I told you he's shy." He pulled Elijah's backpack onto his lap and opened it. He pulled out the sippy cup of apple juice that he had stuffed in there before leaving the house and passed it over to Elijah. He was about to close up the bag when a book caught his eye. It was the one Nick had gotten for Elijah for his birthday, "Hey Nick? I thought this book freaked him out?" It was one of Shel Silverstein's poem books. He personally loved them, but the first one read to the toddler was the babysitter poem, which had sent Elijah running.

"I thought so too. I know I didn't put that in there."

Elijah pulled the cup from his mouth, "not bad. aunt sammy wead some."

"I see." Greg set the backpack to the side.

Mrs. Stanfield still stood in front of them and overheard their conversation with ease, "Still not speaking properly. Has he learned another language yet?"

Nick and Greg both stared at her with incredulous expressions on their faces, "Yes." They both answered simultaneously and then looked at each other, both shocked and amused.

Nick cleared his throat, "I've been teaching him Spanish."

"And he's been learning Norwegian since he could talk." Greg said, smiling for the first time since leaving the house, "I didn't know about the Spanish though. When did that start?"

Nick shrugged as he thought back, "Since just after I moved in. I was talking to my friend Juan and Elijah overheard."

"So, nothing of substance then." Mrs. Stanfield said, interrupting them, "We'll have to add French and Latin to the list dear." She said over her shoulder. She finally stepped away, "Blythe, come _interact_ with your son. That is why we're here after all."

Blythe shrugged her shoulders and made to stand by her mother. She looked down at Elijah, expressionless, "Hello...Elijah, I am your mother."

Elijah stared up at her from around the edge of the sippy cup, his brown eyes still filled with tears. He didn't say anything, nor did he move. Nick poked him in his ticklish spot on the side of his torso and smiled when Elijah let out a giggle and turned to look up at his poppy, "Say hello, little man."

Elijah slowly looked away from Nick to Blythe, "'lo." He mumbled around the cups spout.

"What a lack of decorum. Something else to be fixed I'm afraid." Mrs. Stanfield said as she started back to stand by her husband.

Greg bit his lip, pissed at the implications of how he was raising his son. They were acting like Elijah was a broken _toy_. He was tempted to say something, but Nick's hand gravitated to his thigh and squeezed it in reassurance.

Blythe caught the movement, "How long have you been...partners?" She asked, her face twisting into a grimace of disgust.

"Since May." Greg replied, wondering where this was going.

"All the more reason for...Elijah to be turned over to our care. Children should not be raised around such abnormalities." Mrs. Stanfield said.

Before either men could respond, Nick's watch beeped, "Oh thank God." Greg said at the same time as Elijah's, "it beep. we go?"

He grabbed Elijah's jacket out from behind him, "Half an hours up." Greg continued as he packed up Elijah's backpack as well. He stood at the same time as Nick and looked at Blythe, "It was nice seeing you again," a loud _not_ reverberated around his brain at the tail end of that sentence. He turned to Richard, "I'm afraid we have to go."

Richard nodded and closed the leather bound clipboard he had been writing in while the 'meeting' was taking place, "All right."

The two men walked out ahead of their lawyer, not bothering to say goodbye. Once the door was shut behind them, they made their way across the hall to one of the benches and stood Elijah on it to bundle him back up, "That was so pointless. There was no interaction going on at all. Just a bunch of stupid observations." Greg muttered, pulling the hat and mittens out of his pocket while Nick zipped up Elijah's coat.

"she mean daddy." Elijah said, looking around Greg's arm as the door opened and the Stanfield's filed out into the hall, "no like."

Blythe's shoulders stiffened as they walked by and both men wondered if she had heard the last bit of his statement. The glare she shot them over her shoulder indicated that it was a definite possibility.

TBC...

How many of you caught the name of the firm? Hehe, my friend thought it'd be funny and I couldn't think of anything else, so I went along with it. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it!


	26. Chapter 25 February 2003

Here we are, another chapter. Hope you all enjoy this. I know you were waiting patiently for this one. Lol.

Thanks for all the great reviews!

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February

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Greg sat at the kitchen island, staring down at the baby picture of Elijah that he kept in his Manson CD case. It always amazed him at how small his son had been when he had brought him home. He let out a gusty sigh and put the picture to the side. It wasn't helping to deter his thoughts.

He had seen Thad again that morning when he had been leaving work. The first time he had seen the blond, he had written it off as coincidence and figured it wasn't worth it to tell Nick. Vegas was a huge city, so what were the chances of them running into each other? Apparently, the chances slimmed when Thad knew where they worked. Greg was sure he hadn't been spotted while making his way to the parking lot, but he couldn't say the same for Nick, who was working a double that day.

To top all of that, Cindy had asked him to work the Saturday after valentines day. He only agreed to take it because she offered to take the Thursday before for him and Nick had that night off due to racking up his overtime again. Or so Nick told him when Greg had asked about it.

He heard Nick come into the house and decided that it was now or never. He trusted the Texan and knew that trust was returned. Keeping secrets about a stalker ex would make things worse in the long run, he was sure.

Greg got up and poured two cups of coffee and set Nick's down on the island just as said man walked in, "Hey babe." Greg said, smiling at his lover.

"Hey. You're still up." Nick said, tossing his jacket over one of the stools.

Greg frowned at the tone in Nick's voice. It made him sound like he wanted Greg to be sleeping when he got home, "Nick, I gotta tell you something and I don't know how you're going to take it."

Nick dropped down onto a stool, his face pale, "Blythe got Elijah." He paused and looked Greg over, "No, that's not it. You would have called."

Greg took a sip of his coffee and then took a deep breath, deciding to ignore that jump to conclusions for the time being, "When I went out to lunch last week with with Bobby and again today when I was leaving work...I saw Thad."

"Thad." Nick stared at him for a solid minute, "As in my ex Thad? You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. First time I thought it was just a weird coincidence, you know? Millions of people come to Vegas, but it freaked me out when I saw him outside the lab."

Nick looked down at his coffee. He was worried, but Greg couldn't see that, "You sure it was him?"

"Well, his hair was pretty much one solid color now, but yeah I'm positive it was him."

"Well," Nick said, looking back up at Greg, "There's really not much we can do about it unless he tries something. Might as well just let it go for now."

Greg's brow furrowed as Nick stood up and stretched before heading for the back stairs, "Yeah, okay. Letting it go." or not. Greg gulped down the rest of his coffee and leaned back in the stool. Something was going on with Nick and the only question now was, did he really want to know what it was?

-----

Greg grunted as he dropped another box into moving van, "Is this why you haven't been around much lately?"

Sammy nodded and pushed a lock of hair off of her forehead, "Yeah, pretty much. Between looking for a place with a shorter commute for Kieran and the packing, well, thing's have been really hectic." She let a soft smile cross her face, "I'm sorry that you were told with such short notice."

"Sammy, it's not like you were renting the place and under lease. Sure, it would have been nice to know earlier. I could've helped with the packing or something, but it's not bothering me any."

"Right." Sammy ruffled his hair before starting back for the house.

Greg followed her and took the large box she pushed into his arms. It was fairly light, but because of its size, his view was limited to straight ahead. As he walked back out onto the porch, he paused as Nick's Tahoe rolled to a stop next to the moving van. A few seconds later, Elijah was jumping out from the passenger side, Trixie on his heals as always, and yelling, "daddy! we gots chi-neeze!"

Greg smiled at Elijah's announcement and started down the steps, not having any way of seeing what was under his feet due to the box. Because of this, he didn't see Maddox's baseball roll to a stop at the bottom of the steps, nor that he was about to make contact with it. His right foot landed squarely on top of the ball and he let out a mixed cry of pain and dismay as the box flew out of his arms during his rapid descent to the ground.

"Greg!" Three different voices yelled, but Sammy made it to him first, being closest.

"I hope there was nothing breakable in that box." He said, his teeth clenched as he sat up and straightened out his leg.

"Don't worry about that. Where does it hurt?"

"Ankle."

Nick materialized at Greg's shoulder and used his own to help support him, "Can you move it?" Nick asked, worried.

Greg tried to do so and grunted in pain as his foot jerked to the right, "Yeah, but holy hell that hurts."

"Get his shoe off, Sammy." Nick said.

Sammy did so and they took in the ankle that was rapidly beginning to swell, "Maybe you should take him into the ER, just to be safe."

Nick nodded, "That's not a bad idea."

"Oh come on. It's not that _ouch_ damn it!" Greg gasped as Sammy poked the swelling area with her finger. He glared at his friend, "What the hell did you do that for?"

"Making a point. ER." Sammy stood up and backed away so Nick could help Greg up.

Nick stood up and gripped Greg under his arms, easily hoisting the lab-rat up onto his good foot. He eyed the distance to the truck and shook his head, "You'll never make it hopping and Elijah's sure to grab onto you along the way." He turned and presented his back to Greg, "Hop on."

"You're kidding me." Greg said, staring at Nick as if he had never seen him before in his life.

"It's not like I haven't carried you before, Greg." Nick said, looking over his shoulder.

Greg's mouth dropped open and his eyes flitted to Sammy before they settled back on his lover, "Well, yeah, but that's not exactly the same thing you know."

Nick rolled his eyes, "Sammy, help him up onto the stairs. It'll be easier for him and me."

Sammy, who was smirking at their little exchange and the blush dusting Greg's cheeks, nodded and grabbed Greg's arm. She helped him turn around and hop up onto the first step. They paused for a moment for Greg to catch his breath, which was a bit winded from both pain and the exertion needed to make the six inch jump up on one foot. After making it to the second step, she helped Greg balance as he slipped his right leg around Nick's waist and his arms around the broad shoulders.

Nick, once he was sure of his hold on Greg, stepped away from the porch. His lover didn't weigh all that much, and the walk to the truck was only impeded by a little three-year-old grabbing onto his jeans and walking along.

"i go." Elijah stated once they reached the truck.

Greg slipped off of Nick's back and looked at him as he turned around. Nick shrugged, "Up to you G. Doesn't bother me one way or the other."

Greg sighed, "All right Elijah, you can go, but could you do me a favor first?"

Elijah bounced up and down, eager to help, "what, what?"

"Go get me an ice pack from Aunt Sammy?" Greg winced and raised his foot. He had been resting his toes on the ground, but even that was causing pain to shoot from his ankle.

"k!" Elijah ran to the house, yelling for his aunt.

Nick placed his hands on Greg's hips as he leaned in and bussed Greg's mouth, "There's no way you're going to be able to get into the truck by yourself."

"So what do you suggest?"

"As soon as Eli gets back with whatever Sammy deems a suitable icepack, I'll get him in his seat and then lift you in."

Greg scowled, "This is getting really annoying. Why can't I just get in on the drivers side?"

"Bucket seats, G. You'd never make it across the console without aggravating your ankle more." Nick reminded him, slipping one arm around Greg's back.

Greg leaned against him, "Oh right." He sighed, "This sucks, man."

Nick's eyebrows rose, "Haven't you had a twisted ankle before?"

"Uhm, remember the overprotective mom convo we had? I've never done anything to get an injury."

"You surf Greg."

Greg shrugged, "Never twisted or broke anything while doing that. The worst thing I got from surfing was a chafed ankle from the cord when I fell off and swimmers ear."

Elijah ran around the truck door then and proudly held up a bag of frozen peas, "all had."

Nick took the bag from the toddlers hands, "This will work great, little man." He set the bag on the passenger seat and lifted Elijah up into his arms, "Lets get you settled in, huh?"

"okay."

Once Elijah was buckled in, Nick set the seat back into position and turned to Greg, "Ready?"

Greg nodded, hesitantly, "I suppose. Just don't throw your back out lifting me."

Nick laughed, "A little late for that warning."

Greg hopped a few steps forward and then turned himself around so his butt was resting against the side of the seat. Nick clasped his hips and after a brief warning, he half lifted, half slid Greg onto the seat.

Greg, once he was balanced on the seat edge, reached behind him to grab the frozen bag before pulling himself in the rest of the way. He shivered as his butt landed on the cold seat and leaned down to put the bag on his ankle. Nick shut the door and went around the truck to climb in on the drivers side.

The ride to the ER was filled with meaningless chatter and Elijah's consistently asked question of, "you okay daddy?"

Their time spent at the hospital totaled in at near three hours, given that Greg had to have his ankle x-rayed. It was a major sprain and Greg was told to keep off of it as much as possible for the following few days.

While Greg had been in the x-ray room, Nick had taken Elijah to the gift shop/pharmacy, where he purchased crutches for Greg and a hot chocolate for Elijah. Elijah also decided that he had to get his daddy a get better soon gift as well.

"poppy, please? i gotted stuff when sick." Elijah said, looking down at the fuzzy, light blue bear in his hands that happily proclaimed 'It's a boy' across its belly in loopy writing.

"Yeah, but daddy's not exactly sick, little man." Nick said, bemused.

"so? it pretty. daddy 'ikes blue, too!"

Nick hid a smile. Elijah was finally learning to use 'R's' properly in sentences. He wasn't entirely sure when it started, but it was nice to be able to understand the boy. He crouched down and pointed to the writing, "Eli, that writing there says 'it's a boy.' This is a teddy bear for mothers who just had a baby boy. Did daddy have a baby boy?"

"he had me._ i _boy, poppy." Elijah said, sticking to his guns.

"Not exactly what I meant." Nick scrubbed a hand over his face, "Tell you what. Why don't we get daddy a balloon to tie to his crutches? I'm sure he'd like that."

Elijah studied Nick for a moment before nodding and returning the bear to its rightful spot on the shelf. He followed Nick to the counter where the cashier lady was keeping the crutches and then allowed Nick to pick him up and rest him on the ledge.

Nick handed Elijah his hot chocolate and pointed at the wall behind the counter that displayed the balloons the shop sold, "Okay, little man. Which one should we get daddy?"

Elijah peered up at the wall, taking in his choices. Finally, he pointed to a dark blue balloon that was covered in smiley faces, "dat one! daddy gots undies wit dos."

Nick's face flared red as the elderly lady behind the counter giggled, "He is so adorable! All right, one smiley face balloon coming up." She chirped, ducking down behind the counter.

"He's three, he's three, he has no idea what he's saying..." Nick muttered under his breath while willing his face to return to normal.

Elijah sipped at his hot chocolate while looking up at Nick, "you okay poppy? you red." He reached up and patted Nick's cheek.

He accepted the balloon from a still giggling cashier and cleared his throat, "I'm fine, Eli." He looked at the woman, "How much?"

"Don't worry about it." She said, waving her hand. She leaned over the counter and pinched Elijah's cheek gently, "He is so cute."

-----

The next week passed very slowly for both of the men. Though, to Greg, it certainly had its moments. When he had hopped into the lab the first night on his crutches, most of the woman swarmed around him in bubbly concern. The claustrophobia that erupted from that had been totally worth the jealous tinge that dusted Nick's cheeks and neck every time he walked by the DNA lab.

Thursday night came and Nick managed to wipe out Greg to the point that he had decided to take a nap around two in the morning. Nick didn't bother sleeping, as the plan he had cooked up with Grissom would allow him to get a few hours of sleep in at his normal time. He did stay in bed with his lover, but used the time to just watch Greg.

He laid there with Greg sprawled across his chest and legs, thinking. He wondered if he was doing the right thing with the proposal. He loved Greg, there was no doubt about that, but he had to admit the timing kind of sucked, what with the custody battle going on. He was afraid that Greg was going to think that him proposing was going to deal more with Elijah than wanting to pledge his life to him.

That wasn't true and he knew he should give his lover more credit than that, but hell, he was getting cold feet. It's not as if he had asked anyone to marry him before.

Something Nick was grateful for was that they had finally sat down and talked about his role in the whole parenting role. They went over Greg's fears and how to 'combat' his gut reactions to them, to keep what happened in January from not happening again. As harsh as it sounded in Nick's head, that fight had certainly been a wake-up call for Greg.

Elijah awoke bright and early Friday morning and Nick allowed him to be the one to rouse Greg from his slumber, which the toddler did happily, "daddy! wakey-wake time! it be valy-times day!" He yelled, while bouncing on Greg's hip.

Greg grunted with each landing, "Sproglet, must you bounce?"

Elijah stopped bouncing, "i sorry. guess what, daddy?"

"What?" Greg asked, rolling over onto his back.

"gots you present!" Elijah said, bouncing once again although this time on Greg's stomach.

Greg sat up and watched his laughing son fall backwards, "Oh really? Wonder if its anything like _your_ present."

Elijah's eyes widened as his mouth dropped open into an 'o', "present? for _me_?"

"Yup, for you." Greg leaned over and pressed a kiss to Elijah's temple, "Where's poppy?" He asked, looking around the bedroom.

"kitshun makin brekkie." Elijah said. He started bouncing again, probably from the thought of getting a present, "poppy says we be havin frenchy toasty."

Greg eyed his son, "Brekkie? Frenchy toasty? Where did you hear those words?"

Elijah shrugged and said simply, "trixie."

"Of course."

Greg climbed out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, glad he was officially off the crutches as of the night before. Once finished, he and his son went down to the kitchen where the smell of freshly made French toast permeated the air. Nick had actually set the kitchen table for once and surrounding the platters of food were their gifts and cards.

Elijah had squealed happily at the large Hershey's chocolate kiss he was given and had then laughed uproariously when Nick read his card out loud to him. Nick fell in love with the binoculars from Elijah and Greg, though Greg mentioned that Elijah had picked the gift out, based on Nick's penchant for bird watching whenever he got the chance. Greg's gift to Nick was a lovers booklet with coupons for special things, although not all of them were of a sexual nature. Greg had had a hard time figuring out what to get Nick and Sammy helped him out considerably with the idea.

When it came time for Nick to give Greg his gift, Nick just smiled, "We have to go out for yours. Eli, Aunt Rayne is gunna be taking you today. Maybe she'll swing by Lauren's and let you play with Summer."

That idea appealed greatly to the toddler and he put up no complaints when Rayne picked him up. Nick told Greg to dress normally and they were out the door themselves at nine thirty.

When Nick pulled up to the Mirage at ten to, Greg lifted his eyes to the large casino and hotel, confused, "Nick, I don't really care for gambling you know."

"I know." Nick said, climbing out of the truck. He waited at the front of the vehicle for Greg before locking the truck with the remote. He slipped an arm around his lovers waist and then continued talking, somewhat sarcastically, "Surprisingly, there are other things to do at a casino other than gamble. Which is why we're here. Come on."

Nick urged Greg into moving and the lab-rat allowed it with a bemused sigh. They walked into the Mirage and Nick led him around the casino and towards the back, where the restaurants and attractions were held. Because of the location of the dolphin pool, they ended up walking through the hotels zoo, a thing that had apparently crossed Grissom's mind when telling him what time to arrive at the Mirage with Greg. Greg managed to stop at every animal cage and some of the more friendly animals actually came forward to meet him at the bars, which meant more time waiting.

It was a full hour later that they made it to the opposite end. Not because the zoo was large, as it certainly wasn't, but because of Greg's need to stop at the lemurs cage, where one of the keepers was feeding them. Nick wasn't sure why animals and the Sanders men did this to him, but he was starting to feel like he should carry a camera with him at all times, especially when the keeper allowed Greg to hold one of the lemurs.

Greg had found it to be an awesome experience, though he would be the first to admit that a lemurs paws were a bit odd feeling on bare skin. He had also noticed Nick trying to hold back his laughter when the lemur decided that Greg needed a bath. Having his face licked all over for five minutes straight was not something he was willing to experience again in the near future, as cute as it had been.

Greg handed the lemur back to its caretaker and stepped over to Nick's side. He raised his hand and squeezed the back of Nick's neck, "Thanks, babe. This was a really cool idea."

Nick smirked at that, which had Greg raising an eyebrow. Nick smirking was rare and usually a precursor to some sort of 'mischief.' Nick reached back and took Greg's hand, keeping it clasped in his as he lowered them, "This wasn't really part of your gift. Just a...happy side effect."

"What, exactly, _do_ you have planned?" Greg asked, following Nick as he pulled him towards a set of frosted glass doors at the 'back' of the zoo.

"If I told you," Nick grasped the silver handle and grinned at Greg, "Then it wouldn't be a surprise, now would it?"

Greg huffed, but before he had a chance to send a sarcastic or scathing comment back at his lover, Nick opened the door. Greg heard the unmistakable cries of dolphins echoing around them and he looked at Nick, trying to figure out what was going on. Nick pulled Greg into the room and stopped as a man in a wet suit walked up to them.

"You must be Nick Stokes and Greg Sanders." He said, holding out his hand, "I'm Darrin Callow."

Nick looked Darrin over as they shook his hand and felt some niggling of worry leave him. They hadn't experienced much homophobia in the time they had been dating, outside of Elijah's mother and her parents, thanks to neither of them being ones for blatant public displays of affection. Most people just assumed they were particularly close friends and it worked for them, especially with their jobs. Well, Nick's job as he was the one to work with people outside the lab.

He had been hoping, since Grissom scheduled this, that their trainer wasn't homophobic. He hadn't wanted Greg's day marred because of someones horrible opinions. Darrin had a casual air to him and he seemed totally at ease in their presence and of their clasped hands, even though he was positive that Grissom had informed whoever that they were a male couple, due to the nature of the proposal that would take place in only a few hours.

Darrin was also a very good looking man. Tall, just bordering six feet, with a dark brown crew cut and a mustache goatee combination that set off a strong jaw line. He also had a long, white scar traveling down his face and into the neck of his wet suit that stood out strikingly against his tanned skin.

Their surprised looks had Darrin grinning, showing off slightly yellowed but clean teeth that was common with smokers, "A car accident a few years back." He explained and then turned his attention to Greg, "Well, I'm sure that your man here didn't tell you what this is all about, so I'll fill in the gaps."

He turned and motioned them to follow him to another door off to the right, "The Mirage has a dolphin show on weekends and for special occasions. It's run by Sigfried and Roy, well, more like it was their idea and they own the animals. We also have a program called 'trainer for a day.' It's relatively new, but fairly popular." Darrin opened a locker and pulled out an unused wet suit after sizing Greg up by sight.

Greg gaped and faced Nick, "Oh my God. I can't believe..."

"You like it then?" Nick asked, worry starting to show on his face. It had truly been the closest he could get to the ocean, without actually leaving Vegas, something that Greg missed terribly. Nick wasn't completely sure how to take Greg's reaction, outside of the shock that was clear.

"I love it!" Greg threw his arms around Nick's neck and squeezed. What he really wanted to do was slam his lover up against the lockers and have his wicked way with him, but he was mindful of Darrin's presence. He caught sight of the _one_ wet suit that was being held by the trainer and frowned a bit as he pulled away from Nick slowly, "Aren't you doing it too?"

Nick shook his head, "This is your gift Greg. I'm going to have fun just watching you do this." He paused and then murmured almost absently, "And there's that camera thing again."

Greg heard the comment but ignored it. The Texan was always muttering about cameras at some point and it was becoming almost normal to hear the thought. He turned to Darrin with a wide grin, "What do I have to do? And if someone had informed me about this, I could have brought my own suit."

Nick rolled his eyes as Darrin laughed and said, "There are showers and changing rooms through that doorway. Go ahead and change. I'll go into more of the details after you get back out."

Greg took the wet suit and went into the second room. Nick dug in his coat pocket and pulled out a navy blue box, "Here's the ring. Were you..."

"Yeah. Grissom told me."

"Grissom? You're the one who talked to him?" Nick asked, surprised. It never occurred to him that Grissom had pretty much said the same thing only a month before.

Darrin nodded and took the box, stowing it inside a nylon bag that was resting by the door, "Yeah. I know Doctor Grissom from way back. Wife's attended quite a few of his lectures and dragged me along for the ride." He grinned at Nick before his face turned serious, "Besides, I run the program. I couldn't just let one of my trainers do the job, not when I don't know how they would have reacted to the...situation."

Nick sighed, "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I do." Darrin said and clapped Nick on the arm, "I'll have the ring with me the whole time and Splashy has been preparing for weeks to do his role. I'll wait until I see you enter and it'll go from there."

"Cool." He spied a movement over Darrin's shoulder and he sucked in a breath. If he had known Greg looked so damned hot in a wet suit, he would have tried to get his lover in one sooner.

The suit was a bit small, but he wore it as if it wasn't. The suit went down to his knees and had short sleeves as well. Nick gulped and wrenched his eyes up from Greg's waist, where they had been lingering. Greg dropped his clothes on the bench and held up his hands, "So?"

"Let's head out to the pool." Darrin said. He led them back out into the atrium and through a set of clear doors across from the frosted ones. These led to a pool, where there was a fairly large dolphin swimming around. One that let out a happy chatter when he caught sight of the men.

"This is Splashy. He's a very playful dolphin. Always happy and very talkative. We don't normally use him in the trainer program, as he's the main show dolphin, but he's healing from a strained fin." Darrin said, setting the nylon bag holding the ring down next to the ledge, not noticing that the straps had fallen to dangle in the water.

Nick tapped the back of Greg's head, "Sounds familiar, doesn't it. Seems you two are gunna be a match made in heaven."

Greg crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. His eyes fell on Splashy and watched the dolphin swim along the length of the circular pool on its side. He cocked his head as the dolphin came closer before bursting out in laughter.

Splashy had taken the dangling straps of the nylon bag and had tugged it into the pool. He was now swimming around the far side of the pool with it, as if daring them to come and get it.

Because he was so intent on watching Splashy's actions, he missed the flash of panic cross Nick's face and the brief shake of Darrin's head as he mouthed 'waterproof' to Nick. When he turned to face the other two men, Nick was once again calm and Darrin was looking amused, "Well, I suppose our first thing is to find out if you can swim. The waters not deep around the edges but the center is eight feet down."

"I can swim." Greg said, "I surfed back in school and swimming is kinda a requisite for that."

"All right, that makes life easier." Darrin looked at Nick, "Take a seat if you want. There's soda and water in the cooler over by the table. I figure we'll order lunch in an hour or so."

Nick grinned and went over to the cooler. Darrin was a pretty good actor. It wasn't that Nick wanted to leave and he knew Greg wouldn't want him to either if he had been given the choice, but this was to be just about Greg. Plus he had other things to do, like _pack_. It wasn't like he was going to be gone for the whole time and now he was trying to comfort himself about his own plan. There was something kind of upsetting about that.

The call came twenty minutes later. Greg had been enjoying himself, riding around the pool on the dolphins back. He knew almost subconsciously that this trainer for a day thing was going to get harder, but right now he and Splashy had to familiarize themselves with each other and were having a lot of fun doing so.

Greg flashed a smile at Nick as he ran a hand down the dolphins side, only to see him on the phone, a frown on his face. Greg turned to Darrin, "Just a minute." He swam over towards Nick and pulled himself out of the pool, "Nick? What's going on?"

Nick, who had hung up the cell phone just as Greg had climbed out of the pool, turned regretful eyes on his hopefully soon-to-be- fiance, "That was Grissom. They're calling me in."

Greg's frown deepened, "But...I didn't know you were on call."

"I'm not." Carefully, so as not to get himself wet, he pressed a kiss to Greg's temple followed by another one on his mouth, "I don't want to, Greg, but Grissom needs me."

"It's okay Nick. I understand. Any idea on how long you might be?"

Nick shook his head, "No. I'll make it back as soon as I can though." He pressed another quick kiss to Greg's mouth before backing away towards the doors, "Have fun G. Love you."

Greg watched his lover turn and leave the room after he reciprocated the sentiment. With a sigh, he turned back to the pool, "Sorry about that."

Darrin waved it off, "No problem. Work is work, you know?"

The next few hours were full of enough activity and excitement to take his mind off most of his problems. After Nick left, Darrin began teaching him in earnest on what the dolphin trainers really did behind the scenes of the shows they put on. He learned the animals eating, sleeping, and playing habits as well as how the 'holding' pool, the one the dolphins lived in when not doing shows, was made to look like a replica of their natural habitat.

With Darrin's help, he led Splashy through the 'exercises' that the dolphin had to go through to help strengthen his fin. They took a break at twelve thirty to have lunch, a small meal of tortilla wraps that they were able to put together themselves. After they had eaten, they waited another half an hour, not because of cramping but to just let their stomachs settle. During this time, Darrin went over some more things that trainers did that Greg wouldn't actually go into himself.

"All right Greg," Darrin said, glancing at the clock on the far wall, "Let's go over a few of Splashy's tricks for the show."

Greg took Darrin's example and swam to the edge of the pool where it was shallower, not noticing that this put him not only furthest from the doors, but also out of direct sight of them, "So, what do we do?"

Darrin motioned to a bucket on the edge of the pool, "I'll put Splashy through his tricks. Once one is completed, he'll come by you for one of his treats."

"Sounds good."

Darrin had Splashy bounce a beach ball, jump through a hoop and 'dance.' Each time one of the tricks was completed, the dolphin swam over to Greg for a treat and a tongue rub. After a few more turns of each trick, Darrin saw Nick enter through the doors. Knowing it was time, he covertly pulled the box out of the bag and whistled for Splashy.

Greg cocked his head in confusion as Splashy opened his mouth and chattered at his trainer. After a few seconds, and what looked like a tongue rub by Darrin, the trainer sent him to Greg, "Give him a tongue rub and a treat. Rub first. He's done with his practice for the day."

"Okay." Greg smiled at the dolphin and imitated his chatter. Splashy opened his mouth to chatter back, allowing Greg to see the purple box for the first time, "What's this?" He murmured.

He grabbed the box out of Splashy's mouth, giving the tongue a good rub before placing one of his fish on it. The dolphin happily swallowed its treat and then nudged the box in Greg's hand. It would have surprised him that he had a dolphin urging him to open a gift, but he had learned quickly that dolphins, and Splashy in particular, were exceptionally smart creatures.

Greg pulled the silver embossed elastic from around the box and lifted the lid. Inside was yet another square box, this one covered in smooth, black fake leather, and he tipped the first box in order to get to the second. He stared at it once it hit his hand. He had a strong suspicion that he knew what it was. He raised his free hand, which had started to shake, and opened the cover.

Inside was a ring, his initial thought was correct. It was rather unique for a ring and he instantly slashed the idea that Nick was proposing because of the design. It had a jagged edged design to it and was done in a satin matte finish. The jagged edge was because of the separation of diamond shapes, yellow gold for the top and white gold for the bottom ones. There were two large diamond rocks set into two of the yellow gold diamond shapes, with a smaller rock set into the white gold shape below the two large.

When he heard a throat clearing, he looked up at Darrin, who pointed over his shoulder. Greg turned and grinned when he saw Nick standing there, "Nick!" He waded through the waist high water to the ledge and pulled himself out. He took two steps towards his lover, but didn't watch where he was stepping.

He hit a puddle and his ankle twisted beneath him, the same one he had sprained only a week before, which had weakened from the work he had done during the day. Nick rushed for him to try and catch him before he hit the deck. Greg grabbed onto Nick's shoulders, but their balance was off and they ended up toppling backwards into the pool. They both surfaced quickly and Greg winced from the pain that was shooting from his ankle due to propelling himself up from the bottom.

Nick stepped closer to Greg and raised a hand to wipe away the droplets of water from Greg's forehead, which were making their way towards Greg's eyes, "You okay?"

"Sore, both ankle and pride, but otherwise I'm okay." Greg gasped and looked down, trying to see through the small waves made by their movements, "The ring, I dropped it! Do you see it?"

There was a chatter behind Greg and he whipped around to see Splashy holding the box by its cover. The box was ruined but the ring was just wet. It was good quality and couldn't be ruined by a bit of water. He reached out to take it and just as it was back in his hand, he felt Nick move behind him.

The Texan wrapped his arms around Greg's waist and leaned in, his mouth brushing the lab rats ear as he whispered, "Will you marry me?"

TBC...

...My first cliff hanger. It only took...25 chapters. -grin- Hope you liked.


	27. Chapter 26 February 2003

So, you all ready for Greg's answer?

Thanks for all the fabulous reviews!

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February

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Greg jerked around on his good foot and stared at Nick, mouth agape. It took him a few minutes, which were spent looking back and forth from Nick to the ring. Finally, he managed to find his voice and croaked out, "W-what did you just say?"

Nick framed Greg's face with his hands, holding it in place, "Will you marry me?"

"Nick..." Greg breathed, staring back into the intense brown eyes that seemed to be pinning him to the spot. A happy laugh made its way free from his throat and he threw his arms around Nick's neck, "Yes!"

Nick dropped his hands and wrapped them around Greg's back, returning the hug just as fiercely. Greg pulled back just enough to place a bruising kiss on Nick, forgetting all about Darrin in his happiness. Nick opened his mouth to the onslaught and reciprocated just as eagerly.

When they parted for air, Nick asked, "Ring?"

"Oh!" Greg dropped his arms down and held the box out to Nick.

Nick plucked the ring out of its cushion before tossing the box over to the deck. He looked at Greg and cocked an eyebrow. Greg made the aborted motion with his head and eyes that meant, 'what?' and Nick sighed, "Which hand Greg?"

Greg's eyebrows creased, "Isn't left the one that an engagement ring normally goes on?"

"Usually, but we can't technically marry remember? So I think this can go either way you like."

"Oh." After a few seconds of thinking, Greg's eyebrows uncreased and he said with a sense of finality, "Left."

Nick nodded and slipped the ring onto the finger he had had the ring sized for. It had been an after thought that Greg might want to wear it on his right hand, but he only had his ring size for the left hand and so he had decided to hold off on re-sizing until after he had asked. Once the ring was in place, Nick motioned to the deck, "Let's check out your ankle."

"Oh, we're not doing that again. It's fine, I swear." Greg said, moving away from Nick and raising his arms up as if to hold Nick back.

Nick rolled his eyes and grabbed Greg's hips. He urged his fiance backwards and lifted him up onto the ledge. Nick took a step back and lifted Greg's right leg to get a better view of the ankle. It was starting to swell again, but not as badly as it had been the week before. He looked over his shoulder at Darrin, "Do you have an ace bandage?"

Darrin nodded, "Of course." He swam to the edge and pulled himself out as Nick did the same. Nick then helped Greg up and over to one of the chairs. Darrin walked over and handed him the ace bandage, "By the way," He said, "Congratulations."

Both men lit up in happiness, even as Nick started wrapping the ankle, "Thanks." They chorused, before looking at each other and chuckling.

Greg managed to change without help after that and Nick led him back through the zoo and out into the casino after bidding goodbye to their new acquaintance. Instead of making their way towards the main doors leading outside, Nick steered a limping Greg towards the elevators. Greg glanced out over the casino floor and found himself doing a double take when he saw a flash of blond hair. He was really getting paranoid about Thad it seemed. There was no way Nick's ex could be in this exact casino.

"Nick? Where are we going?" Greg asked as the stepped inside the empty elevator and Nick hit the up button.

Nick smiled, "The other half of the surprise."

They rode up to the seventeenth floor in comfortable silence and with Greg leaning his weight on Nick for most of the way. When they reached their floor, Nick helped Greg hop down to room ten seventeen. He swiped a key card through the lock and pushed the door open before turning to Greg.

The mischievous look was back on Nick's face and before Greg even had a chance to say anything about it, Nick swept Greg up into his arms bridal style, "What are you doing? Put me down!" Greg said, laughing as he pounded Nick on the shoulder in a poor attempt to get released, "Come on, please...holy..." He trailed off as he took in the room.

It was technically a one bedroom suite with a large living area, dining area, and a wet bar. There was a balcony off the dining area where a table and two lounge chairs were set up.

Nick bypassed this area and went straight into the bedroom. He set Greg on the bed and stepped back. Greg stared up at him, "This is...huge. What do we need all the space for?"

"Beats me, but I'm not the one who reserved it." He started undressing Greg, "I have a confession to make."

"Grissom never called you, did he?" Greg asked as he shrugged out of his sweater.

"Well, he did, but I didn't have to work. I packed our stuff, checked us in and got other little things taken care off. I also talked to Eli. He's expecting a phone call later." Nick took Greg's clothes and dropped them by the door.

Greg yawned and watched with hooded eyes as Nick undressed himself, "I hope you're not expecting me to put out right now. I am way too tired."

"No, just sleep. I was expecting to get some while I was out but I never got the chance to." Nick climbed onto the king sized bed and laid back.

"Sounds good to me." Greg slid up the bed and situated himself so he was draped over Nick, head on his chest and legs entwined. It didn't take either of them very long to fall asleep.

When Greg finally awoke, the room was dark save for a small glow emitting from the bathroom. Or, what he assumed was the bathroom that is. He climbed out of bed carefully, not wanting to wake Nick, and tested his weight on his foot. It was tender still, but he could handle it. He then limped to the bathroom to take care of his business.

Once back in the bedroom, he sat on the edge of the bed and watched Nick sleep. He still couldn't believe that he was actually engaged to Nick, well, as engaged as two men could get in Nevada. Nick had truly done good with the ring as well. The design was something he would happily wear and yet different enough that it couldn't be mistaken as an engagement ring. Nick had probably had a good chuckle over the thought of misleading him.

Greg knew he should probably be upset at Nick's little charade, as he had really wanted his lover there with him for the training thing, but he wasn't and staring at the man now, he couldn't find it in himself to become upset either.

With that in mind, he leaned forward and rested his weight on his hands, pushing himself up and onto the bed fully. He crawled over to Nick and straddled his waist, holding himself up on his hands and knees. He leaned down and started placing feather light kisses along Nick's face. When Greg felt Nick start to stir under his ministrations, he aimed for Nick's mouth and added more pressure. Nick responded to the kiss immediately and Greg threaded his fingers through Nick's hair to keep his head in place.

Greg pulled away for air and smiled at Nick's mixed look of dazed and drowsy. He began placing random kisses again, working his way down Nick's neck.

"Greg, your ankle...we shouldn't...shit..." Nick broke off with a gasp as Greg's teeth nipped at his collar bone.

Knowing that Nick was going to do his damnedest to talk Greg out of anything physical, he poured all his attention onto Nick's sensitive neckline. It didn't take long for Nick to be writhing and growling beneath him. Figuring he had the advantage, he knelt back to remove their underwear, only to let out a shocked grunt as Nick shot up and pushed him onto his back.

"If we're doing this, we're doing it right. Meaning that ankle gets no pressure." Nick said, before pressing his lips against Greg's with bruising force.

Nick took over from there, continuing Greg's work of removing the last of their clothing as well as stroking the flames of their arousal higher. Nick had Greg's right leg resting over his arm as he slid slowly into his lover. Greg, though, was having none of this slow business as it had been over a week since they had last done anything this physical, and so he wrapped his good leg around Nick's back and tugged hard.

Greg let out a gasp as Nick suddenly went full hilt. Nick stared down at him with wide eyes, "Shit...G, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Greg said with a breathless laugh, "That was intentional."

"Right." Nick slid his free arm under Greg's neck and shoulders, cocooning the younger man under him. He leaned in and joined his mouth to Greg's as hips started a familiar tempo. Neither did anything to move from this position, even as movements began to speed up. Nick pulled back from the kiss and Greg met his eyes as he panted for air.

"Love you Nick." He whispered, raising his hands from Nick's waist to wrap them around his neck and shoulders.

Nick's movements never stalled as he answered, "Love you too, G. So much." He bent in to start another kiss, growling in his throat as Greg sucked his tongue into his mouth. The growling increased and Greg knew Nick was getting close to the edge. He himself was hovering at the apex and it wouldn't take much to push him over.

As if reading his thoughts, Nick shifted and pressed his torso to Greg's. The result was intense as Greg slid across the toned stomach. His breath caught and he dug his nails into Nick's shoulders as his orgasm washed over him. Nick followed him soon after and buried his head at Greg's throat as his hips faltered.

Nick kissed his way up to Greg's mouth and leaned back slightly, smiling, "How's the ankle?"

Greg smiled back and raised himself up onto his elbows to give Nick a satisfied kiss. He pulled away after a moment and jiggled the leg Nick was still holding, "Ankle's fine," He clarified and then added, "Although my leg's going numb babe."

"Oh. Sorry." Nick said, sitting up as a slight flush dusted his face. He ignored Greg's moan as he fell free and he slid his arm towards his body carefully, running his fingers along Greg's thigh as he lowered the leg. He pressed a kiss to Greg's knee before settling it on the bed and climbing out to dispose of the condom.

He came back with a damp washcloth and wiped Greg down, tossing the cloth back in the general direction of the bathroom. Greg grabbed his arm and tugged him back onto the bed so he was half laying on top of the lab rat, "You know, you really had me worried."

Nick rested his head on the pillow so he was looking at Greg straight on, "Why?"

"The secrets? You were kinda antsy about everything, like you were doing something behind my back." Greg replied, eyes glazed as he tried to put his feelings into words.

"Greg? I was doing something behind your back." Nick twisted the ring on Greg's finger in emphasis.

"That's not what I meant. I didn't honestly think you were going to propose, so I was getting well, worried. I knew you weren't cheating on me, 'cause I know how you feel about that, but..."

Nick leaned in and pressed a kiss to Greg's mouth, effectively silencing him before pulling away, "I can't say I would feel the same way if i had been in your position, but G, you've got other worries going on and they all kind of compounded together. I'm not surprised or upset that you felt that way about all this and me." Nick's forehead creased as he stared at Greg's face, "You do know that this has nothing to do with Eli right?"

Greg raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Shit that came out wrong. What I mean is with the timing of all this. My asking you wasn't prompted by Elijah and the custody battle."

"That hadn't even crossed my mind, actually, so I'm kind of surprised that you thought of it." Greg said.

Nick shrugged and turned over onto his back, "Well, it really sort of hit me last night while you were sleeping that the timing was bad. I thought about putting this off, but I figured what the hell. We love each other and I was not going to let that woman and her family dictate every aspect of our life."

"Well said."

"...Thanks."

Greg made an 'mm' sound at the back of his throat and wormed his way closer to Nick, snuggling into his hold contentedly. They laid there for some time before Greg's stomach let them know it was time to eat. Greg laughed and pushed Nick's arms off of him so he could sit up, "I haven't eaten since noon. I need food."

Nick held up a finger and reached across Greg for the phone. He hit the extension for the front desk and waited for the receptionist to answer, "Yes, this is room ten seventeen. We're ready for our food to be sent up. Thanks." He hung up and sat back with a smirk.

"You've got everything thought out don't you." Greg snuggled into Nick when the Texan opened his arms, "What did you get?"

Nick smiled, "This and that. You'll like it."

"Sure, okay."

-----

Greg walked into the break room Sunday night and was instantly bombarded by Jacqui and Bobby. Hodges, who was still rather new to the lab, was hovering behind them, trying rather hopelessly to look uninterested. None of them worked Saturday, but had overheard Grissom and Catherine talking about Nick's proposal Friday morning. This was their first time seeing their friend since the week before.

"So? What happened? Let us see!" Jacqui exclaimed, trying to push Bobby out of the way so she could see Greg's hand.

"Hang on a minute." Greg said, "I really need some coffee."

Bobby held up a steaming mug, Greg's mug as it were, with a grin, "Already taken care of."

With a look of pure amusement on his face, he purposely raised his left hand to take the mug from his best friend. Both of them gasped when they saw the ring and Jacqui intercepted the hand just as his fingers grazed the mug and pulled it closer to inspect the ring, "This is incredible." She frowned and squinted at the embedded diamonds, "Greg, why is one smaller then the other?"

"This is actually really sweet of Nick, but the two bigger ones represent us and the smaller one Elijah." Greg replied, a proud smile on his face. He hadn't even known there was a significance to the diamonds until Nick had explained it to him. He also explained why he had had the ring made with the smaller diamond sitting inwards on Greg's finger. The thought that it represented both of them protecting their small son still made him feel like crying.

Jacqui dropped his hand and wrapped her arms around Greg, "I am so happy for you and Nick. You'll have to invite me to the wedding."

Before Greg could correct her, a disgusted voice echoed around them, "Wedding? I didn't realize that was allowed between...your kind."

Jacqui felt Greg stiffen in his arms and pulled back to give the newcomer a piece of her mind. Bobby, however, beat her to it, "Who the hell do you think you are, Blythe?" Bobby hissed, recognizing the woman from Greg's description of her, "You have no right to force any of your opinions on us when you weren't invited into the conversation in the first place."

"Please," The owner of the voice scoffed, "Spare me your tirade. I have come to speak to Gregory...alone if you could."

Greg turned and looked at Blythe, "What are you doing here?" He saw Judy, the receptionist who had led Blythe to them, step back in shock at the cold hostility in his voice.

Blythe crossed her arms, "Have you people not heard of the word _alone_?"

"We're his friends. We're not leaving him." Bobby said, draping an arm across Greg's shoulder.

"Very well." Blythe sniffed and focused her attention on Greg, ignoring the three lab techs surrounding him. Despite Hodges demeanor, he felt that he could somewhat consider Sanders a friend and so stuck around, "I have come to ask you to stop this foolish nonsense. Why you bother to waste your meager funds fighting my parents and me for custody is beyond me."

Greg felt his face turn red as his blood pressure rose, "Is that all you ever think about? That child is my son and I'm all he's known! I love him and if I wind up piss poor broke trying to keep him away from you, then so be it. He deserves to be raised by loving parents, not in some boarding school."

"Why are you fighting this? He will be given everything he needs! He will want for nothing!" Blythe exclaimed.

"I'm fighting because I love him, damn it! I can damn well provide everything you can. I don't because that's not the way for children to grow up. You are a fucking prime example of that."

Blythe's hand fluttered to the base of her throat at Greg's words, "Excuse me? There is nothing wrong with the way I grew up."

Greg stared at her for a moment, "Do you even want him?" His voice was quiet, but the question was easily heard.

"What kind of question is that?"

"Answer him."

Blythe turned to face Hodges, a flicker of shock crossing her face, "Excuse me?"

Hodges crossed his own arms and leaned against the table, "Answer him. Do you want this kid? Because from what I've just witnessed, you're still a child yourself."

"For your information, I am twenty-five. Hardly young enough to be called a _child_." Blythe said, "And this is none of your business."

Hodges snorted, ignoring the surprised looks he was getting from his fellow lab techs, "You made it all of our business by bringing this into our place of employment. As for you being a child, I meant it in no relation to your age. You are _acting_ like a child, throwing a tantrum like a little kid who got her toy taken away."

Much to the others amazement, Blythe visibly wilted under Hodges bland stare, "You are right, of course. I let this get away from me." She smiled at him with a wink before turning and walking out of the lab.

Greg turned to Hodges, his mouth hanging open, "You...you just stuck up for me."

"Don't let it go to your head, Sanders. She was embarrassing herself. It was the only way to get her to stop." Hodges pushed away from the table, "Do me a favor?"

"Depends?" Greg said, drawing the word out into an uneasy question.

"Keep custody of that brat of yours. She doesn't want him." Hodges strolled out of the break room and down the hall.

It was a silent group of lab techs that Nick and Grissom walked in on a few minutes later. Nick took in the scene, his eyes lingering on Greg's face, "Is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.

Greg didn't seem able to answer, which didn't ease Nick's concern in the slightest. Bobby and Jacqui exchanged a look before turning to the men standing across the room from them, "The weirdest thing just happened...Blythe showed up..."

"Blythe was here?" Nick interrupted, Greg's attitude suddenly becoming much more clear to him.

"Yeah. She wanted to have it out with Greg and apparently she's more than willing to do it on his turf. That woman has gall, I'll give her that." Bobby frowned, "That's not the weird thing though. _Hodges_ stood up for Greg and Blythe actually _listened _to him and if i didn't know better..."

Jacqui nodded her agreement when Bobby looked at her, "I saw it too! It was almost as if Blythe liked Hodges!"

-----

Two days after Blythe's impromptu visit to the lab happened to be President's day and Greg was determined to take advantage of it, or more accurately, the sales that accompanied such holidays. So, once he and Nick had climbed out of bed Tuesday afternoon, they set to work on Elijah's room before picking him up at four o'clock and heading to the mall after one quick stop.

Nick was staring at the tag that was dangling off a t-shirt in shock, "Greg, these are three T and they're still too big on him!"

Greg nodded and dropped the shirt he was holding into the cart, "I know." he held up a pair of jeans to a complacent Elijah before dropping them into the cart as well, "At least he's growing."

He was too. That morning, it had taken them nearly an hour to find an outfit that still fit the toddler. He had his clothes from Christmas, but most of them had been in the size of his previous clothing and so were too small as well, "Why don't we just get four T and let him grow into them? Then maybe we won't end up donating another full wardrobe to Good Will in five or six months." Nick suggested, his tone indicating he was actually amused by all of this.

"Sure, 'cause that'll go over real well." Greg snorted as he pulled three more pairs of jeans off the rack in the same size, "He'll walk around for months tugging his pants up."

Nick shook his head and rested his forearms on the bar of the cart, "That's what belts are for, G."

"Whatever. If we get him belts, you can wrangle him into them. I want no part in it." Greg muttered as he walked to another rack of boy's clothes. He had tried belts previously with Elijah before he had started dating Nick. The toddler had not enjoyed staying still long enough for Greg to loop them through the belt loops and had made his distress known. Loudly. Greg stared at the rack in front of him in shock, "I can't believe they have summer clothes out already."

"Best time to get them though. It'll be warm enough for shorts in less then a month and everything's on sale 'cause it's technically winter yet." Nick straightened up and pulled a long sleeved, gray shirt from the rack next to him that he had been looking over, "This is cute."

Greg looked over and laughed. The shirt had a clock on it with the phrase, 'It's ten pm. Do you know where my parents are?' "Oh, that's great. Do they have it in his size?"

Nick fingered through the hanging shirts, "Yeah, one left." He added it to the cart.

Elijah, who was taking part in all of this with the sort of detached manner that most toddlers went through shopping with when no food was involved and no other kids were present, suddenly started hopping in place, "daddy, poppy, i gots ta go potty." He whined, a hand working its way steadily south to grasp at his jeans.

Nick winced, "I'll take him." He hoisted Elijah up into his arms and quickly made his way to the front of the store where the nearest bathrooms were located.

During this, Greg grabbed a few more slacks in Elijah's new size as well as a few shorts, just in case. He made quick work of the pajama's and some new underwear before finally following Nick's trek. As he was coming up along side of the food court, the sight that met him had his breath leaving him in an upset whoosh.

Thad was there, whether by luck or by some other means that Greg did not want to dwell on too long, and was talking to Nick much like he had back at the ranch all those months ago. He walked slowly forward and took in Nick's facial expression and body posture, noting that the Texan was well on his way to being truly angry. Because of this, he felt the almost subconscious fear that had been plaguing him since Thad's arrival to Vegas leave him. Nick was no where near happy to see his ex.

"poppy? gots ta pee real bad." Elijah whispered. It may have been soft, but Thad was close enough into Nick's personal space to hear the muttered complaint.

"_Poppy_? Don't tell me, Nicky. That brat that followed you to Texas managed to snag you completely huh? The bitch is probably out slamming some poor slob while your takin' care of his kid." Thad said, his eyes locked on Elijah in detached bemusement.

Greg, now pissed beyond anything he had felt before, was about to go up to the jerk and punch him, public place be damned, for what he was insinuating, but Nick beat him to it, "That brat you're referring to is my fiance." He hissed, "If this wasn't such a public place and I didn't have _my_ son in my arms, I would happily land you the blow you deserve, not the one you want." He straightened up to his full height and said almost calmly, "As it is, I'm going to have charges brought up against you, including a restraining order." While he was still going to go with a restraining order, the charges was mentioned in hopes to scare the man into leaving them alone.

Thad laughed, "Charges for what? I was just minding my own business until you suddenly showed up and started harassing me. No cop is going to believe a fag."

"That might be more believable if you weren't so obvious about your inclinations. Besides, I know plenty of cops that know of my home life who would be happy to help me out." Nick's eyes narrowed as he stepped away from Thad and closer to the bathrooms, "You're on my turf now, Thad."

As Nick took the now quietly complaining boy to the bathrooms, Thad turned and spotted Greg for the first time since he had shown up in the area, "Bastard. You took him from me." He walked quickly up to Greg and grabbed his arm, "I don't know what the hell you did, but it won't work forever."

Greg winced as Thad's grip tightened around his bicep, "Weren't you listening? We're _engaged_. That sort of implies forever to me, so I think you're shit out of luck."

"Men can't get married to each other." Thad said, his teeth clenched, "If we could, I would have had Nicky in my grasp long before we left school."

"Maybe not, but there is this thing called a civil union and in Vermont? That is the same damned thing as marriage."

Thad laughed mockingly, "You're in the wrong state boy. This here is Nevada. Ain't gunna do you much good now is it."

Greg glared at Thad and wrenched his arm away. He hadn't even brought this up to Nick yet, but it would hopefully put the bastard into his place, "You don't need residency in Vermont to civil unionize there. _Some_ of us do do our homework. Now if you'll excuse me, my _family_ is waiting for me."

He pushed the cart around Thad and walked over to the bathrooms, where Nick was coming out of, his face still holding traces of anger that was now mixed with worry, "Everything okay?" He asked, watching over Greg's shoulder as Thad strolled out the doors and into the mall.

Greg grabbed Elijah out of Nick's arms, as the toddler was leaning towards him, "Everything is fine." He smiled at Nick as he brushed his lips along Elijah's cheek, "Better than, actually."

"Good." Nick said, returning Greg's smile with ease. He looked over towards the mall again and his eyes narrowed, "That just seemed too easy. I hope he got the message."

Greg nodded in agreement, "Me too."

TBC...

So, what'd you think? Live up to expectations?


	28. Chapter 27 March 2003

Hey, thanks for all the fantastic reviews.

Also, Canada was brought to my attention in relation to the boys getting married. I did in fact do my research in regards to this and there is a reason I did not choose Canada.

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March

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Nick watched from the couch as Greg paced up and down the family room, his cell dangling from his fingers. The scene was so reminiscent to one they had already played out in November that Nick had to stop himself from flashing back to that day when all they had to worry about was whether their parents would get along while in the same room. It was amazing how just one phone call could change all that.

Now, three months after the fateful call, Greg was preparing to call his parents and inform them of what was going on with Elijah. He had been putting it off since December, finding some excuse to pass on calling them. Hell, Nick's parents already knew and were, in fact, preparing to leave Texas to fly up at that very moment. As in, when Nick last talked to them, they were in the middle of packing.

Nick climbed to his feet and set himself in Greg's path, a flash of amusement crossing his face as an oblivious Greg walked into him, "G, just get it over with."

"She's going to freak out, Nick. Forgive me if I want to put this off as long as possible." Greg said, looking up at Nick. His eyes were wide as thought of all the torture his mother was about to put him through.

"Let's just get it over with." Nick repeated as he snatched the phone out of Greg's hands and punched in Jan and Dave's speed dial. When it started ringing, he held it up to Greg, who was steadily trying to back away from him.

Greg didn't have a chance to get far enough away when his mom picked up. He glared at Nick and took the phone, "Hi mom."

//Hello, sweetie. How are you doing?//

"Fine mom." Greg pulled away from Nick completely, "I know we haven't had a chance to talk lately. Thing's have been pretty hectic around here." Greg paused and listened to whatever his mom was saying, "I know that's no excuse...yes, mom."

Nick suppressed a grin as Greg's eyes narrowed even more at him. It had been weeks since Greg last spoke to Jan, and if he had to guess, he was sure that she didn't even know about their engagement, something Greg was sure to inform her of any minute as he tried to put off the inevitable.

Sure enough, "Hey, mom, I have some great news." Greg said, as if he had been reading Nick's mind,"...Nick asked me to marry..." Greg was cut off as Jan squealed through the phone loud enough for even Nick to hear from four feet away. His grin, which had grown out of the previous glare quickly, faded away as Jan started talking, "Mom, we realize that a male couple can't...Just..."

Greg covered the mouth piece of the phone and held it away from his mouth, "See what you did?"

Nick raised an eyebrow, "What I did? If you had just told her about Eli first, you wouldn't have to listen to whatever it is she's talking about now."

"Something about thinking and hopes...I don't know." He returned the phone to his mouth and said, "Mom, you done? Look, Nick and I still have things to work out in that area, but that's not..." Greg paused and took a deep breath, "That's not why I called."

Nick held his arms out and wrapped them around the lab rats back as Greg stepped into his embrace. He knew this was going to be bad. Jan scared even him at times and Greg had told many a story about her over protectiveness when it came to her two boys. He was in that fold now as well, and had been since the episode with...Crane, but sometimes her protectiveness knew no bounds when it came to her son and grandson.

"Mom, I need you, dad, papa and nana to come over to Vegas." Greg said, wrapping one of his arms around Nick's waist as he spoke, as if he were grounding himself.

//Why? Is something wrong?//

"You could say that. Since December, Blythe and her parents have been working on trying to get complete custody of Elijah." Greg's hand dug into Nick's shirt as they waited for Jan to respond.

It took nearly a full five minutes before she spoke again//And you are just now telling me?//

"Mom, I said things have been..."

//Hectic, I know. And yet, not hectic enough if Nick was able to propose. Dammit, Greg, your priorities are...//

"Just fine, mom." Greg said, gritting his teeth, "We've been doing everything in our power to keep Elijah. Nick asked me on the only break other than work that we had, so..." He took a deep breath, "Please, can you just come up for the hearing? You can ask questions and yell and all that stuff then."

//When?//

"Next week." Greg said with a gulp. He was never going to hear the end of this.

//We'll be there this weekend. Give my grandson a kiss for me.//

Greg closed the phone when it beeped to tell them that Jan had hung up, "Oh, this is bad."

Nick shook his head and massaged Greg's back, "You should have told her right away, G, but yeah, next week is going to be interesting."

"She's going to gut me. Do you see now why I didn't tell her about Halloween?"

"Yeah, still think you should have, but I can see why you didn't." Nick tightened his arms briefly before stepping back, "Let's go pick up Elijah and take him out to Chuck E Cheese or Game Works for dinner."

Greg grinned in response to the idea. He loved it when they took Elijah to those restaurants as they didn't have age or weight restrictions on their various tunnel structures or ball pits, allowing him to go in and play with his son. Nick even joined in sometimes, much to Elijah's enjoyment. Greg had once even managed to snap a picture of his lover sliding headfirst into one of the ball pits.

They made it to Jack and Jill daycare by four o'clock, which was their normal pickup time. They both went inside, pausing to talk to Marge Holstein, one of the afternoon watchers.

"Hey Margie." Greg said, leaning against the counter, "How was he today?"

"A little angel as always, according to Jessie." She replied, going into the closet behind her where they kept the kids winter gear.

Jessie Conway had always sort of 'favored' Elijah since he had started going there, more than likely because of her not so secret crush on Greg, "Although," She came out and handed Nick the toddlers windbreaker and zip sweater, "We had a bit of a problem today that I want to talk to you about."

Both men's eyebrows rose and they followed Marge into the office after she brought another watcher up front to man the desk, "Okay, now do either of you know a Blythe Stanfield or her parents, ah..." She looked down at a sheet of paper on her desk, "Vivian and Emerson Stanfield?"

"Uh, we..." Greg looked at Nick, eyes wide with worry, "She, Blythe that is, is Elijah's mother."

Marge nodded, but saw that there was more to this than a mother wanting to see her son. Greg, and now Nick, had never informed them of a mother in the picture, "We didn't let them see him, if that's what you're worried about, despite the fact that she did inform us of her relations to Elijah."

"How did you..."

Marge smiled softly, "I've seen this before." She cleared her throat, "In order for an adult to see one of the children in our care, their name must be on the list given to us by the parent or relative who did the sign up. There have been too many cases of parents or grandparents, who are restricted from a child's life, who have shown up at their schools and daycares to take them. We don't want that to happen here."

Greg felt the tension drain out of him and he slumped down into the seat, "Thank you." He whispered, running a hand down his face.

"What I don't understand," Nick said, voice distant as he thought, "Is how she even knew where we took him for daycare. She doesn't know where we live so she couldn't have followed us."

"Well, I had to put them down on the information Pyre gave us so that whoever could do a check on the place. Could she have gotten it that way some how?" Greg mused.

Marge watched them banter idea's back and forth before shaking her head, "Gentleman? I'm sure you'll figure this out, but right now you have an antsy little boy who is sure to be getting hungry."

Nick's face flushed as Greg dropped his own head to his chest, "Right, sorry. I'll just run back and get him." Nick jumped to his feet and went out of the office.

Greg stood up and shook Marge's hand, "I understand that it's your policy to do that, but it still means a lot to me. They think Nick and I are...unnatural and have been trying various ways to show that to the judge."

"I am sorry to hear that. Elijah thinks the world of both of you." She headed around the desk to walk out with Greg, "It's those three who are unnatural. They were criticizing everything about you and this place when Jessie had been looking for Elijah's contact sheet. I have a feeling that even if they had been on it, she wouldn't have said anything out of spite."

"Mm...It's a miracle she even likes Nick." Greg muttered as he plucked up Elijah's jacket and sweater from the desk.

Marge laughed, "Yes, but she gets more enjoyment out of making him think she doesn't. Just don't tell him."

"Of course not." Greg said, with a roll of his eyes.

-----

Greg took a sip of his coffee as he watched Nick run around the backyard after Elijah. A brainstorm had started when they had been at Game Works the day before. He had been thinking of their commitment ceremony and how it was common for spouses to take the others last name. He would love to add Stokes to his name while not giving up his own and had wondered how Nick would feel about that. Now, he was thinking about Elijah and just how weird it would be for his name to be hyphenated and not_their_ son's. Which, the more he thought on, the more he realized that thinking this way was a good thing. It made him acknowledge just how high his hope was off them keeping Elijah.

Nick stepped up next to him and stole the coffee out of his semi-lax grip before promptly taking a gulp. He winced and handed it back, "Cold." He said, wiping his mouth.

Greg looked down at his cup. It had been steaming a few minutes ago, "Huh. Hadn't even noticed."

"Which is rare. What's on your mind?" Nick asked, reaching around Greg to grab his bottle of water off of the table.

"When we, well, do the commitment thing. I would love to add your last name to mine, but I think it would be a little weird with Elijah." Greg said, watching as the toddler slipped and fell in the sand surrounding his play set. He made to go out there, but Elijah started laughing, so he just sighed and turned to look at Nick.

"Well..." Nick took a few sips of his water, his own attention on Elijah, "There is a way to take care of that."

It felt like Greg's heart had dropped to his stomach at that, "I suppose we don't have to do it. I mean, it was a pretty big assumption on my part. It's not like it's gunna be...mph." Greg peeled Nick's hands away from his mouth, "What?"

"Greg, you always find a way to twist my words in the wrong direction." Nick said with a shake of his head, "I meant I could adopt Elijah and make his name Sanders-Stokes as well."

Greg stared at Nick, his eyes welling with tears, "You really want that?"

Nick smiled and kissed away a tear that managed to fall, "I really do." He leaned back a little to look Greg in the eye, "I guess the only question is, do you want me to do that as well?"

"Yes, I want that as well. Just never thought about it." Greg laughed and threw his arms around Nick, coffee cup and all. He met his Texans mouth with his own in a frantic kiss. They pulled apart for air and were making to meet again when Elijah tugged hard at their jeans. "Yes?" Greg asked.

"daddy, why you cryin'?" Elijah inquired. He knew his dad was happy about something, it was obvious, but it didn't explain the _crying_.

Greg looked at Nick who shrugged and said, "It concerns him. Might as well."

Greg nodded and leaned over to pick Elijah up. The three of them sat on the couch, Elijah on Greg's lap and his little legs on Nick's, "Well, sproglet, here's the thing. A few weeks ago, poppy asked daddy to marry him and..."

"what marry?"

"Uh..." Both of the older men looked at each other, wary, "Well, when two people love each other...No, that sounds like the sex talk my father gave me." Greg muttered with a shiver.

Nick snorted, "It's a way for grown ups to show how much they love each other and to say they want to be together for the rest of their lives."

"oh." Elijah thought this over, "k."

"Yeah, but that's not quite what we wanted to talk about." Greg said with a smile, "When poppy and I get married, our last names are going to change and..."

"me too?" Elijah asked, interrupting his father.

"Well, no, not yours."

Elijah pouted, "why?"

"Because you're not legally Nick's son, even if he is your other father."

"why?"

"'Cause the laws are weird like that little man, but...we can fix it so that I am your legal father." Nick replied, "It's called adoption. It would add my last name to yours and, well, make you legally mine as well."

Elijah's brown eyes widened. He didn't understand the word legal but the thought of having his poppy's last name was an awesome one, "cool! we do dat?"

"Sure can babe." Greg said, leaning down to blow a raspberry on Elijah's neck, "Next month, when poppy and I take care of all the papers for the...marriage, we'll petition for the adoption."

"cool!" Elijah exclaimed again through the giggles he was emitting from Greg's raspberry.

-----

Nick straightened Elijah's clip on tie and his sports coat, both of which had gotten mussed during their ride to the courthouse. Both sets of their parents were in with the judge at that moment, talking to him about whatever it was he needed to know. Nick and Greg had been talked to as well two weeks prior and the day before, along with Elijah. They knew that investigations had been run on them and just the week before, they had had a home inspection. Greg thought that had been a little unfair, as the the same could not be said for Blythe and her parents, due to them living in Florida.

Rayne, Mark, Lauren and her husband Chris were already seated inside the courtroom along with their other friends from the lab and Greg's grandparents. Even Grissom had shown up to support them, which Nick was grateful for.

Their parents walked out of the door down the hall from where they were sitting, which led to the judges chambers. Jan and Jillian walked over to them while their fathers shook hands with the judge, "Everything is going to be okay." Jan said, when she noticed the white hue her son's face had taken on.

"It's time for you to come in now." Richard Pyre said, poking his head out the door.

When he received nods of understanding, he stepped back to allow them room to pass. He stopped Nick and Greg, allowing Elijah to pass through with his grandparents, "They want to bring Elijah onto the stand."

Both men blanched and Nick looked at his dad, "Can they do that?" He asked.

Bill Stokes nodded slowly, "If the judge feels that the child is competent enough to do so, yes." The older man sighed, "Elijah is a very bright young boy and the judge picked up on that fact yesterday."

"There's no way he's going to answer and if he does, he'll just mumble it because of his shyness. Their lawyer is going to antagonize him!" Greg exclaimed, though his voice was no louder than a whisper.

Richard wrung his hands in worry, "I don't see any way to get out of it. Does the judge know about his shyness?"

"He witnessed it first hand." Nick replied, before his eyes widened, "Stitch!"

Greg's eyes lit up, "Yeah, that'll work." He turned to Bill, "We can't go down but could you go and grab the clown out of the backseat of the Tahoe? It'll help keep him calm when he's up there."

Bill nodded and took the keys Nick handed him. He left the courtroom at a quick gate, eager not to miss anything. The three men walked up to the front of the room, pausing by their family, "Dad went to get Stitch." Nick said, at his mothers questioning glance.

They nodded but still looked confused, "There's a reason, just...Bill will tell you." Greg quirked a small smile. He and Nick leaned in to kiss Elijah's cheek before continuing on to their seats on the opposite side of the half wall.

Because it was a hearing and not a trial, there was no jury and judgment lay solely on the judge. Since he had already talked to most of the people the day before and earlier that afternoon, the only ones needed to be called forward were Rayne and her family, and the CSI's who agreed to give a testimony.

When Sara stepped down, the judge looked over his glasses at the congregation of people, "This is a highly unusual request, due to the child's age, but apparently Mister Stewart has a few questions for Elijah. If he could be brought forward please?"

Bill stood up with Elijah and Stitch in his arms and brought him up to the stand. He had explained what was going to happen to the toddler while the others testified so Elijah would know what to expect. The bailiff stepped forward and held out the bible. Bill helped Elijah place his left hand on the book as the bailiff said, "Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Elijah nodded, "i do."

The bailiff nodded and stepped back, allowing Bill to place Elijah on the chair. They had brought in a few phone books for the toddler so he could see over the wall, and thanks to his words with the judge earlier, Bill was able to stand off to the side yet close enough for Elijah to feel safe.

The judge leaned over to him, "Do you understand what you have to do?"

Elijah nodded slowly, "yes. gots ta answer quest-tans wif truf. no make up stories."

"All right." The judge sat up and looked at the Stanfield lawyer, "You may begin."

The lawyer nodded and walked over so he was standing near Elijah, "What's your full name?"

"eliza henrik sanders."

"And how old are you?"

"t'ree."

"And what month is your birthday in?"

"april."

The lawyer nodded, "Do you know who your mom is?"

Elijah bit his lip and squeezed Stitch as he nodded, "yes."

"When did you meet her?"

"'while 'go."

"Did you want to meet her?"

Elijah shook his head, "no."

"Why not?"

"make daddy sad. no need mommy."

The judge frowned, "Did he tell you you didn't need a mommy?"

"no."

Stewart looked over at Blythe and her parents and took a deep breath when Emerson Stanfield nodded to him, "Has your daddy or mister Stokes ever...touched you?"

"Objection!" Richard said, jumping his to feet.

"Sustained. Mister Stewart, this was all covered in my talks with him and his family. Do you have anything relevant to ask?" The judge asked, his tone of voice proving that he was not happy with the way the questioning was going.

"I'm afraid that's everything." Stewart said. He walked back to the Stanfield side and listened quietly as the male Stanfield quietly argued at him.

"Mister Pyre?"

"I have no questions, your honor." Richard said.

The judge nodded and turned to Bill, "You can take him back down. If I had known that was the direction they were taking this I wouldn't have allowed it."

"I understand." Bill said. He lifted Elijah into his arms and took him back to their seat.

The judge then looked back and forth between the two tables, "Is there anyone else?"

Stewart stood up, "I would like to call Greg Sanders to the stand."

The judge nodded even as he spoke, "Let's just get one thing straight. If any questions come up that I believe I have covered sufficiently with him prior, I will not allow your questioning to continue."

"Yes, your honor."

Greg went up and after being sworn in, took a seat on the chair. He looked out and at his various family members, smiling to himself when he saw all the supportive gazes.

"Now, Mister Sanders. Please state your age and date of birth for the record."

Greg was tempted to roll his eyes as he answered, "I am twenty-seven and was born on May fifth, nineteen seventy-five."

"How long were you and miss Stanfield dating when Elijah was conceived?"

Greg managed to hold back a blanch. Did he tell the judge about this? He couldn't remember, "We weren't dating."

"No? So it was just a one night stand."

"I don't do one night stands. We were drunk when it happened."

"I see, and you were how old at the time?"

Greg frowned, "Twenty-three."

"And miss Stanfield was not yet twenty-one. Did you intend to seduce a minor with the aid of alcohol for the very purpose of sex?"

"Objection! This is irrelevant." Richard stated, looking up from the notebook he had been going through.

The judge looked at Greg, who was looking back at him confused, "Sustained. This is not relative to the _custody_ hearing."

"Right." Stewart cleared his throat, "Mister Sanders, when you flew to Atlanta, were you even sure that the child was yours?"

"No, but I went anyway."

"Why?"

"If he was mine, I wanted to be there."

"And you had a paternity test done?"

"Of course."

Stewart nodded and looked down at the clipboard in his hands before frowning, "How long have you and Mister Stokes been dating?"

"I..." Greg started, eyes widening slightly.

"Objection! Your honor..."

"Yes, mister Pyre, I know. Mister Stewart, you are back onto grounds that I have already covered." The judge said, sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

Stewart cleared his throat, "No further questions your honor."

"Mister Pyre?"

"None, your honor."

The judge turned to Greg, "You may step down."

Greg walked back to his seat on shaky legs. This whole thing was ridiculous. All Blythe and her parents were trying to do was pick at his and Nick's relationship, even trying to pry answers out of Elijah on that subject. He had an inkling that it was the eldest Stanfield who penned those questions, due to the lawyers hesitation before asking a few of them.

Greg looked over at the Stanfield family. Blythe's parents were talking quietly to the lawyer while Blythe sat staring out into space, chewing on a piece of gum.

"Is there anyone else?" The judge asked, though the tone of his voice suggested he wasn't looking forward to it if there was. Richard shook his head and eventually Stewart did as well, "Very well. I'm calling a brief recess. We'll reconvene in fifteen minutes." With that said, he stood and went into his chambers.

Greg and Nick stood up and went back to their family, "daddy, poppy, i gots ta go potty." Elijah said, peering up at them from Jillian's lap.

"I'll take him." Catherine said as she walked over, "Come on sweetie."

"k." Elijah slid of off Jillian's lap and took Catherine's hand as she led him out of the room.

"This is a bunch of crock." Warrick said, shaking his head, "They're just poking at your private business."

"The judge caught that." Bill said, "I would have too. He also caught on to Miss. Stanfield's apparent lack of interest in the proceedings. He glared at her more than once during all of this."

"I think you guys have it in the bag." Sara added, squeezing Nick's arm.

Both of them nodded and left to use the bathroom themselves. Once that was taken care of, they spent the last ten minutes of the recess talking to their friends and family, with Elijah sitting on both Greg and Nick's legs.

Soon, Richard was urging them back to their seats. The judge came back in a few seconds later and once they were all seated, he crossed his hands on the desk in front of him, "These past few days, today included, have been filled with talks on both sides of the spectrum. Some of them really made an impression on me," Here, he smiled as he looked at Elijah, "And others just left me with a headache." He glanced at the Stanfield's.

"I have come to a decision and it is one that I had decided at the start of this case. I thought, perhaps, something might happen to change my mind, but the fact of the matter is, nothing did. It only strengthened what I believe to be the right choice. I rule in favor of..." He paused and looked at both 'parties.'

Greg and Nick clasped hands under the table and sucked in their breath along with the rest of the attendees who sat behind them while waiting for the judge to start speaking again.

TBC...

All right...another cliff. Dang it all, eh? Let me know what you all thought...


	29. Chapter 28 March 2003

Here you go. I want to apologize for how long it took to get this out. I got sick and then my sister moved back to town...damn it. Lol. Well, I hope you all like it. I know it doesn't make up for the wait and its short. For that I apologize.

Thank you for all your reviews!

---------

March

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"Greg Sanders." The judge said, his smile returning when Jan and Jillian cheered and hugged their sons from behind. He allowed a few moments of celebration before tapping his gavel. Once they had settled down, he looked at Elijah's two fathers, "Since this whole thing has started, you two had been eager to do whatever necessary to see things through, even while not happy with what needed to be done. I've watched you with Elijah and knew that he had a very happy home life, despite both of you working third shift. Your sitters are competent and loyal to you and Elijah."

He turned to the Stanfield's, "As for you three. Flags went up at once when reading about Miss. Stanfield's ease about putting her own child up for adoption. It was clear then that she did not want him, so what changed? I understand now that it was not she who wanted this, but you, Mister and Mrs. Stanfield. From the visitation on, it was apparent that you would not care for him personally and had no qualms sending your daughter to do your dirty work. All this, because your daughter could not have another child naturally?

"Not only that, but you began to demean Mister Sanders and Mister Stokes about their relationship, something of which was none of your business. While most judges would not agree with me in the case of a homosexual couple, I have always felt strongly that they deserve a chance at raising a child just as much as a heterosexual couple. In this case, one half of the couple is the biological father, so their sexuality held no baring at all in my decision. Now, you may petition for visitation rights, but I am allowing Mister Sanders to be the one to agree to them if you decide to take them and they will all be supervised." The judge looked back at Greg and Nick, who were now holding Elijah between them, "Case dismissed."

As the judge stood up and left, Greg and Nick turned to Richard and shook his hand, "Thank you." Greg said, smiling.

Richard, in return, smiled for the first time since meeting them, "I didn't do much, truth be told. I wish you guys all the best. Oh..." He turned to his briefcase and opened it. He pulled out a book on animals and handed it to Elijah, "Something you might enjoy. Think of it as a congratulatory gift. Take care." He closed up his briefcase and walked out of the courtroom.

"We need to celebrate." Catherine said, as everyone grouped around them.

"Yeah, but not tonight. We just want to spend time with Elijah without all that stress hanging over us." Nick said, as he rested his arm around Greg's waist.

"Of course." Catherine said, "Tell you what, we'll plan for the party to be at your place tomorrow afternoon, since it's a Saturday. We'll take care of all the details. Sound good?"

Greg and Nick looked at each other and nodded, "Sounds great. Thanks Cath."

"No problem." She kissed them on the cheek and, after she and Warrick said goodbye, left as well.

The crowd dwindled as they made their way to the parking lot and separate vehicle's. Greg looked at their parents and his grandparents, "You going to join us for dinner?"

They all shook their heads and the females of the group gave them kisses, "No, tonight is about you three," Jan said as she pulled back from Greg, "We'll...go catch a show or something." she looked at Jillian, "You want to join us? Dad's got this thing for magic that..." Her voice faded away as they walked off to the other side of the parking lot.

Greg laughed and then sighed. His adrenaline, which had been keeping him going for the past few days, was starting to wear off, "Let's go home."

That night was quiet. After eating a meal that consisted of Elijah's favorites, hamburgers and macaroni and cheese followed by Nick's special ice cream sundaes, they cuddled on the couch with Elijah comfortably ensconced between them. They were now on the fourth book of Harry Potter, and Greg had also bought the school book set to show their son what the different animals in the series looked like as they came upon them, which Elijah kept on his lap.

After awhile, Elijah looked up at his fathers, "daddy? poppy?"

"What's up little man?" Nick asked, slipping his finger into the top of the book to hold their place.

"i don't haf'ta see mommy 'gain, do i?" He asked, twisting Stitch between his hands.

Nick and Greg looked at each other before looking down at Elijah, "Sproglet," Greg sighed, this was going to be harder to say than he thought, "Someday, kiddo, you may just want to." He held up his hand to stop Elijah from interrupting, "I'm not saying you have to _now,_ just that you might in the future. When you're older."

Elijah shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest, "nah uh. she mean. i 'member dat a'ways."

"I'm tempted to hold you to that." Greg said with a sigh.

After putting Elijah to bed that night, Nick found Greg in the study, a notebook in front of him, "What are you doing?"

"Hm?" Greg looked up at Nick and accepted a kiss, "I'm working on Elijah's birthday letter. With so much that went on this past year, I figured it best to start it early."

"Birthday...letter?" Nick asked, confused, "You didn't give him one last year." he recalled, thinking back.

"I didn't give it to him, no, but I wrote one. It was something I started when he was still in NICU and just continued each year. I'll save them until he's sixteen or whatever and give them to him all at once."

Nick smiled and sat in the chair across from the desk, "That's a really sweet idea. Mind if I do one too?"

"Nope, not at all." Greg pulled another notebook and pen from the desk and set them across from his own.

-----

Catherine set the bowl of potato salad on the island, "So I called pretty much everyone."

Greg raised an eyebrow, "Meaning...?"

"Third shift mainly."

"So, it's going to be like the barbecue all over again." Greg said with a laugh.

Catherine nodded, "Yeah, I guess so, just with your's and Nick's families as well and no water activities."

With the exception of Catherine, Warrick, and Sara providing pretty much all of the food, it was almost exactly like their barbecue the previous May. This time, however, there were 'congratulations' banners hung along various places. There were balloons and streamers, and Sara had managed to procure a full sheet cake that had 'congratulations Nick, Greg and Elijah' across it in blue. They played different party games for the kids benefit and when it started to cool down, Nick, Warrick and Kieran lit a fire in the fireplace.

As the cake and ice cream was being handed out, Jan snagged her son's hand and pulled him into the house. She dragged him to the study and told him to sit down, which he did without question. He knew this had been coming.

"Now, Greg, you know I love you. Why do you put me through this? You always do this." Jan crossed her arms and leaned against the desk.

"Mom, I don't mean too, but..."

Jan sighed, "And you always say that too. It's like, you hide things from me on purpose and when I find out about it, you become mister innocent."

"Mom..." Greg tapped his fingers on his leg, "What would you have done back in December if I had told you about Blythe?"

Jan stared at him for a moment as she tried to put herself in that position, "I would have dropped everything and come here to be with my boys."

Greg nodded, "Which is really sweet, but...when would you have left?"

"Once the...court...hearing...All right, I get your point. I may not like it, but I get it." She bit her lip in thought, "There's one thing that's bothering me. Why did she, her parents, whatever, want him? What happened to her that made it so she can't have children?"

"I don't fully know myself. Something to do with her tubes or ovaries. Makes Eli pretty special, if you think about it." It was clear to Jan, however, that Greg didn't want to think about it because it brought to light the less than ideal circumstances surrounding the court hearing.

Jan stood up straight and slanted a knowing glance at Greg, "Anything else you want to tell me?"

"No, no, we're good." Greg insisted, shaking his head. He stood up and slipped an arm around her shoulders, "Come on, ma. There's some cake and ice cream with our names on them just begging to be eaten. I can hear the yelling from here."

Jan laughed and together they walked back out onto the patio, where their significant others were holding onto their plates. Nick handed Greg's over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "So? How'd it go?"

Greg leaned against Nick and took a bite of his cake, "Better than I expected. I think I got her to understand the reason I didn't tell her, but whether she'll keep that in mind for the next crises that comes along, I have no idea."

Nick gave Greg a pat on the back, "I doubt there's going to be another crises anytime soon, so try not to worry about it."

Archie, who was sitting next to Nick and happened to over hear said, "Don't jinx it man. These kinds of things always happen in threes."

"Didn't know you were superstitious Archie." Nick replied, amused.

"He's right though. We've gone through two major events since we've been together." Greg said, referring to the dead body at Halloween as well as the custody battle.

"What about the engagement?"

Greg looked around Nick at Archie, who shrugged, before saying, "I don't think that counts as part of it. That was a good thing, which goes along with us getting together. It wasn't a _bad_ significant event."

"So, we're just talking bad things? In that case, what about your ankle?"

Greg waved his hand as Archie said, "Minor. Doesn't count."

"My...stalker?"

"Happened before we got together. Face it man, we have one more thing to finish this chain off. Hopefully," Greg paused to take a drink of his coffee, "It holds off for awhile. I don't know how much more _excitement_ I can take."

-----

Greg powered up his laptop, a new purchase that had him acting like a little kid with a new toy. He loved the thing and had conned Nick into agreeing to get wireless for the house so he could load the Internet from anywhere he pleased. Right now, he was camped out on their bed, papers surrounding him. Elijah was with Sammy for the afternoon and Nick was somewhere in the house.

He popped up his bookmarked link to the Vermont page and began looking through it, writing out some ideas as he went. He was so into his task that he almost flung his laptop across the room when Nick walked in.

"Awfully jumpy, G. What are you doing?" Nick asked as he took in the papers strewn about.

"Have a seat Nick." Greg said, patting the bed, "We have some planning to do."

"For?"

"The ceremony?" He phrased it as a question, wondering how Nick could have forgotten about it already.

"Okay..." Nick sat on the bed next to Greg and glanced at the laptop, "Vermont?"

Greg nodded, "They are the only state that legally has civil unions. Granted there are other countries, but it would take too long to get Elijah a passport, not to mention getting mine updated."

"I don't have one either."

"Really?" Greg looked at Nick, surprised, "You're parents seem like the kind of people who would do exotic locations for vacations."

"I don't know about exotic. We'd go skiing or go to the beach for a week. Stuff like that. I think Liam and I are the only ones who haven't visited another country."

"Hm." Greg tapped his pencil against his chin, "I'll take you to Norway someday. Maybe during one of the festivals. I haven't been there since I was a kid, but I remember that it was totally awesome."

"That'd be cool. So, okay, Vermont. You already thinking of a day?" Nick asked, trying to figure out what all the papers were for. Most, from the looks of it, were reception details, although he couldn't fully make heads or tails of them all.

Greg shrugged, "Maybe April? Because that'd be..."

"Our year anniversary. Not a bad idea." Nick interrupted, "You don't want it exactly on our anniversary do you?"

Greg looked at Nick, confused, but realization soon dawned when he saw the look on Nick's face, "No, babe, I don't. I was thinking before Elijah's birthday. Maybe the weekend of the fourth? We can fly out Friday after work, have the ceremony on Saturday, and be back in Vegas Sunday in time to go back in to work. We'll be tired, but we won't be putting anyone out."

Nick nodded slowly, "Okay, we can do that."

"I know our parents are going to want to be there. Mom pretty much told me that she was expecting a phone call or invite for it. What about the people from work?"

"It wouldn't be feasible to invite everyone on third shift out to Vermont for the weekend. One or two sure, but maybe we can do something for them when we get back. Like a reception or something."

Greg nodded and marked that down in his notebook, "All right, that'll be easy enough. It's not like there aren't enough venues in Vegas to choose from. I mean that, 'cause we are not having a wedding reception here at the house. Could you imagine the mess?"

Nick laughed, "I can live with that." He sobered instantly, "This is all great, G, but...this is all going to be void here in Nevada."

"I know." Greg said softly. He bit his lip and shuffled a few of the papers around, "I've been thinking about that since I found out about Vermont. There are...other things...that we can do to make us as legal as possible here, other than adding our last names together and you adopting Eli."

"Like what?"

"Ah, well, there's a dual partnership agreement, living wills, estate allocations, powers of attorney..." Greg trailed off, "It'd be a lot of paper work but it would make us as legal as possible until Nevada recognizes our civil union."

Nick looked through the papers Greg handed him, "You've really been thinking about this, haven't you."

"Yeah." Greg nodded, "But that's because we have Elijah to worry about too. There's something else if you want to."

"What's that?"

"Adding you to my bank accounts? You can keep your own," Greg hurried to re-assure him, "But, if you're on mine, well, it would make things easier. Especially if something happens."

Nick stared at Greg for a moment, before he nodded, "Okay."

"Serious?" Greg asked, eyes shining.

"Serious. It's a good idea except instead of adding me to yours, why don't we just combine them? It won't take much to open another one if, well..." He trailed off, reluctant to voice his thoughts.

Greg nodded in understanding. He knew where Nick was going with that, "If you think so." He made another jot in notebook, "Now that all that stuff is taken care off..."

"Wait, wait." Nick said, "When do we get the paperwork for all this stuff?"

"Whenever I call Malcolm and get him to put it together for us? Probably be best to do it all before we leave for Vermont though. We should also do up the adoption papers then too." He snorted in amusement, "We're going to have writers cramp for a week, I swear. When I took care off all the paperwork needed after my aunt and uncles death, I couldn't move my hand for the rest of the day."

Nick grinned, "Thanks for the warning."

"No problem. Now, about the invites..."

Nick waved his hand, "Wait a minute."

"What?" Greg asked, turning to look at Nick.

"Tasha called before. Thad's back in Texas."

Greg straightened up from his slouch, "You serious?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah, she saw him in town. It seems that the restraining order worked."

"Not to mention the assault charges." Greg said with a snort, rubbing his arm where the bruises Thad had left were now a memory.

"I still want to kill him for leaving those on your arm. The assault charge wasn't enough for him hurting you."

"You just said he's back in Texas. Let it go man."

TBC...


	30. Chapter 29 April 2003

Hey, sorry for the wait. Thanks for all the awesome reviews and I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Warning:** Sex...

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April

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Nick was bored. Greg had gone to file their paper work with the county clerk as well as take care of his adoption form for Elijah which not only had to be filed at the Las Vegas courthouse, but it also had to be faxed to Malcolm, and they didn't own a fax machine. Said toddler had gone with because of a demand that he needed his own suitcase. His dad's duffel bag just wouldn't cut if for such an important trip. 

He had already packed his and Greg's clothes, called Grissom to confirm the planes departure time for tomorrow as he and Greg were paying for his plane ticket, and laid out Elijah's clothes and toiletries. Now, he was wandering through the house, poking his head through various doors. He started on the second floor, and other than the coat closets in the hallway leading to the backstairs, there was nothing he hadn't seen before. Granted, he hadn't been out on the decks, but the two were rather small and not worth being out on for long periods of time. 

He followed the back stairs down into the mudroom and paused at the bottom. There was a door there that he had never opened, figuring it to just be another closet, but now that he thought about it, they kept their coats in the closet off the front staircase. Curious as to what was stored underneath the stairs, he opened the door. 

Much to his shock, he found another set of stairs leading down. Seeing a switch on the wall, he flipped it and took the wooden steps down into the basement. There wasn't much down there to look at. The water heater and furnace were in the far corner of the room, there was no need for a washer and dryer down there due to the laundry room on the second floor, and other than that there were just boxes and other odds and ends strewn about the barren room. There was also another staircase, and from the positioning of it, it was coming down from the back of the main staircase. Nick was beginning to wonder if he had spent the last few months blind if he was just noticing all this now.

Confused and wondering why he and Warrick had practically killed themselves trying to shove all of his things into the semi-detached garage, he missed his fiance calling out to him from the floor above. It wasn't until Greg stumbled across the open door that Nick finally realized he was home.

Greg joined him in the basement, Elijah dead to the world in his arms, "Hey cowboy. I've just spent the last ten minutes looking for you. What are you doing down here?"

Nick shrugged, "Got bored. Answer something for me?"

"If I can?" 

"All this extra space down here and we crammed my stuff into a half full, one car garage why?" 

Greg looked around the room that was the same three thousand four hundred square feet of the first level, "Never thought about. I haven't been down here since just after I moved in. That's the last time the heater and furnace was checked and when I brought all this stuff down here."

Nick tapped his toe against one of the boxes, "What is all this anyway?"

"Some of it's mine from the apartment I had during college and the rest is Uncle Rick's and Aunt Sabine's things from both here and the townhouse out in New York." 

Nick's eyes widened and his eyebrows rose. That was news to him, "They had a townhouse in New York?"

Greg grinned, amused by the response. He supposed now was as good as time as any to let Nick know exactly the kind of money he was going to be signing himself on to handle the following Monday after work, "Nick," He said slowly, "Just where do you think we stayed when they took me out there? Aunt Sabine didn't like condos at all. Said it felt like the floors above where pushing down on her. Actually, it was the townhouse where they were killed. I only went out there once after their death to pack the place up to sell."

"_You_ did? Does that mean you got both houses? What about Rayne and Lauren?" Nick had only recently found out about Rayne's 'relation' to Greg when he had overheard his lover calling Rayne _aunty_ in a joking tone of voice and had questioned him on it. It had never occurred to him that Rayne had been Rick's sister-in-law.

Greg shrugged and adjusted his hold on Elijah, "Rayne just wanted the cottage and Lauren enough to get through med school. Aunt Sabine willed them more than that, but I still got the most of it and both houses. Well, my parents got money and stuff too, but no where near as much as me." 

Nick shoved his hands into his pockets and his eyebrows creased together as he tried to take all that in, "How much exactly?" He had never felt the need to ask, but his curiosity finally compelled him to.

"Ah, well, lets see. The townhouse was in a pretty good location and the market was good at the time. I think it went for two point three million."

Nick's jaw dropped, "Are you serious?"

Greg's eyes narrowed in mock irritation as he said sarcastically, "No Nick, I'm exaggerating." He sighed, "Can we finish this upstairs? My arms are getting tired and it's kind of chilly down here."

Nick scooped Elijah out of Greg's arms and carried him up two sets of stairs to drop him off in his room. He then met Greg in their room, where the lab rat was packing Elijah's things into his new, neon orange mini suitcase, "Can you believe it? We'll be flying out to Vermont in less than twenty four hours and will be as married as we can get in just over thirty." Greg said with a grin on his face as he zipped up the suitcase. He set it by their larger cases and turned to wrap his arms around Nick's waist, "You know I wasn't hiding the exact amount of money I had from you, right?" He asked, picking their conversation back up quickly.

"I know and I never thought to ask, but I kinda think I should be prepared come Monday so I don't pass out in front of whoever it is we'll be meeting with at the bank." Nick replied, wrapping his own arms over Greg's and leading him backwards to the seating area. 

Greg managed not to trip as he went up the two steps backwards, "Fair enough. I wouldn't want you to faint either." He let go of Nick long enough for the Texan to sit, before plopping himself down on Nick's lap, "Now, I shouldn't say exact amount, 'cause theres no way I could tell you dollars and cents, but in my checking alone I have just under a million. The rest, which includes the townhouse payment, is up over five million, which is split between two savings accounts. There's also a few trust funds set up for Eli and...any future kids."

Nick stared up at Greg for a moment before letting out a low whistle, "Why the hell do you work?"

"You're kidding right?

"Well it's not like you have to." Nick had a feeling he knew why Greg worked, but his curiosity was still working overtime and he felt the need to ask.

Greg nodded, "True, but just think of how sweet retirements gunna be when we give up on the daily grind." His eyes glazed over briefly before he shook himself, "Besides, It's not like I was always rich. Well, I guess it depends on your definition of rich. The house my parents bought when I started high school was pretty nice. Even has an elevator." Greg frowned at his own babbling before continuing, "Anyway, I like working, I like my _job._ Don't think I could sit around and do nothing every day. I think the tedium would even get worse once Elijah starts school." 

Nick's felt decidedly impish as he said, "_Our_ retirement is going to rock."

-----

Greg stared across the table at Grissom and Elijah, shock his primary emotion at the moment because of what he was witnessing. The soon to be four-year-old had not left their bosses side since the plane ride out the night before, thanks to the older man toting entomology books in his carry on bag. Elijah, who had had the plane seat next Grissom, had taken one look at the bugs portrayed in one of the books and promptly fell in love. 

Now, Elijah's chair was pulled as close to Grissom as he could get it and was asking him all kinds of questions. Both his mom and Jillian had tried to tempt him away and had also told him to leave the poor man alone long enough to eat, but Grissom had just brushed them off as he answered all of the questions patiently. 

Greg turned to Nick, who was watching the scene in amusement, "Well, at least he's interested in science." He whispered, leaning over so just Nick could hear him. 

Nick snorted and started eating again, "Wonder how long it's gunna last?" 

Greg shifted his eyes back to their boss and son, "With Grissom around? Probably for a very long time." 

After they finished eating, the group trudged their way to the courthouse. The building was only two blocks from their hotel and none of them were used to driving in snow, which the town they had chosen to commit themselves to each other in still had an abundance of. When Greg had called to set the day and time for the ceremony, he had inquired about the weather, an after thought that he was now insanely grateful for. Not only was the snow deep, but the air was cold at twenty seven degrees and because of that information, he had been able to pack the necessary clothing needed.

The judge met them just outside the courtroom. She held out her hand to both men and introduced herself, "I'm Margaret Grenier." She reached an easy five foot eight in height and had graying black hair that was pulled back into a fierce bun, "The paperwork was faxed to me last night by Malcolm Warner, so that is out of the way. If you'll follow me inside?" 

She led the group into a courtroom and to the front. She picked up her robe from it was laying on a table and pulled it on over her black power suit, "I like to treat my civil unions like marriages. You mentioned on the phone that rings will be exchanged?" 

Nick spoke up before Greg had a chance, "Something like that. It's going to be a little different." 

Greg cocked his head at Nick, confused. The Texan had informed him that they didn't need to worry about looking for rings, that he had already taken care of it. Greg couldn't get more than that out of him however. Shrugging and deciding to go along with whatever it was that Nick had planned, he nodded his head in agreement. 

"All right." Judge Grenier moved to the front of the area and pointed at where she wanted the two men to stand. They dropped their winter coats on the table and helped Elijah out of his. This prompted their parents and Greg's grandparents to do the same as did Grissom. They then moved into position in front of her, Elijah standing between them and back a few feet. Grissom stood behind him so he could be close at hand for when the time for rings arrived. Bill and Jillian stood behind Nick while Jan, Dave, Olaf and Krista moved to stand behind Greg. 

"Nicholas Stokes, Gregory Sanders," Judge Grenier began, "You come before me today to join in a civil union in the eyes of the law in the state of Vermont. You come with witnesses and I find I must ask. Is there anyone here who opposes to this union?" 

When no one spoke up, she smiled along with the two men standing before her and continued, "A civil union is a marriage and should be treated as such and so I ask, Gregory, do you take Nicholas as your husband, to have and to hold in good times and in bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"

Greg looked into Nick's eyes and felt his smile grow into a sappy grin as he nodded and said, "Yeah...I mean, I do." 

Judge Grenier chuckled and turned her attention to Nick, "Nicholas, I ask the same of you. Do you take Gregory as your husband, to have and to hold in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, from this day forward?"

"I do." 

Greg's breath hitched and his eyes welled up with tears. He never thought that he would get so close to marriage and in just a few minutes, Nick would be his_husband_. He felt his heart squeeze in happiness at the thought. 

"You have chosen to exchange rings, but have decided to go a slightly different route. As it's obvious Gregory has no idea what's going on, we'll start with you, Nicholas." 

Nick nodded and looked at Grissom, who smiled and pulled a silver looking band, with a jagged edge on one side, off of his pinky and pulled off the strip of tape he had affixed to it to keep the ring on his finger. He passed it to Nick, who pulled a band off of his own ring finger that matched the one passed to him by Grissom, "Greg, I need your engagement ring."

Greg frowned and slid it off his finger and handed it to Nick. Confusion turned into shocked awe as Nick snapped the two pieces onto the ring, enlarging it considerably and making it look as if the engagement ring were inlaid into a whole nother ring. 

Nick looked at Grissom who repeated the rings significance to the confused lab tech and surrounding family. Then, he added another bit of the Gimmal history that he hadn't brought to Nick's attention, "The reason for the witness is that he or she is to watch the couple through their engagement period. If they were to find fault in the couple, they had the power to refuse to allow the marriage to take place. In the times it was popular, they were the only ones allowed to make that decision outside of those being wed together."

Greg and Nick both stared at their boss, shock on their faces. Nick's eyes were wide, not just from the new information, but because he now understood why their boss had agreed so readily to be their witness. Not only was he their friend and a father figure of sorts, but he was also the only one they spent any time with who could easily give an impartial decision without letting his own feelings get in the way of what needed to be done. Instead of being upset at this, however, his respect for the entomologist grew.

Even Judge Grenier's eyes widened at that bit of news. She then cleared her throat after Grissom stepped back into his place behind Elijah, "Are you all set?" 

Nick nodded slowly, "Yes."

"All right." Judge Grenier cleared her throat, "Nicholas, please place the ring on Gregory's finger and repeat after me. With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you." 

Nick slid the ring back onto Greg's left hand as he said, "With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you." 

When the judge turned to him, Greg's cheeks were dusted with red as he raised his eyebrows at Nick. Nick blushed as well and turned back to an amused Grissom who passed him a ring that was similar in design to Greg's. The only difference was that instead of having the jagged edges from the diamond shapes inlaid between the gold and white gold edges, they were wavy. Nick handed the ring to Greg, who then looked at Judge Grenier to continue. 

Greg slipped the ring onto Nick's finger and repeated after the judge, "With this ring as a token of our union, I commit to you."

"May these rings represent the never ending cycle of your bond as the years pass. Is there anything you wish to say to each other?"

Nick cleared his throat and took Greg's hands in his as he looked his lover in the eye, "This past year has been fraught with bumps and hills that we managed to overcome because we were together. Not once have I felt doubt and I can tell you now that I never will. I love you so much." 

Greg sniffed and just managed to keep himself from bawling as Judge Grenier turned to him, "Gregory?" She asked gently. 

"I...I don't..." He cleared his throat, at a loss. He glanced at their son, who was beaming at them in happiness from his spot in front of Grissom, and inspiration struck, "Nick, before I met you, and even after, I never thought I'd find someone to share my life with. When we finally decided to become a family, it was one of the happiest days of my life and I know it's only going to get better. I love you." 

Before the judge had a chance to speak, Nick turned to her, "There's something else I would like to do at the moment, if that's okay?"

A flicker of surprise crossed her face before she nodded, "Of course."

Nick smiled and, choosing to ignore the confusion that was back on Greg's face as he knew any questions would be answered in a matter of mere moments, looked behind them to where Grissom stood with his hand resting on Elijah's shoulder, "Come here, little man." 

Elijah broke away easily from Grissom's hold and all but ran to his fathers. He was swung up into Nick's arms so that he was facing the judge but could still easily see the two men. Grissom stepped forward again and pressed a jewelers box into Greg's hands. The lab tech flipped the catch on the box and lifted the lid as Nick and Elijah watched, one with mirrored curiosity and the other with anticipation. 

Nestled inside was another ring that looked to be the same size as Greg's but was resting at the bottom of a thick, white gold chain. It was clearly the same style as their rings, but had a woven design in the center as opposed to his diamonds or Nick's waves. Greg lifted the piece of jewelry from its cushioned resting spot and as the chain left the confines of the box, the light flashed on the ring and drew his eyes to the interior. 

Along the inside edge of the ring was an inscription that read, 'Tre hjertet, un amor, one family.' Quickly deciphering the odd cacophony of words he realized it read, 'three hearts, one love, one family" in the three languages that Elijah was learning; Norwegian, Spanish and of course, English. He looked up sharply at Nick, who smiled at him, "I know that it's not customary at all to give a ring and vow to the children going into the marriage, but he's a part of this too and it seems only right to do so."

Greg nodded, "I like that idea." He was really loving that Nick had a not so normal view when it came to romance and family. Most people who were to marry single parents would more often than not not include the child or children in the actual ceremony itself beyond having them stand in it in some way. 

"As do I. How do you wish to proceed Nicholas?" Judge Grenier asked, smiling at a giggling Elijah who seemed not to have the fainest idea as to what was going on around him, but finding the expressions he was seeing on his various relatives funny.

Nick cleared his throat and smiled when Elijah looked up at him with an expectant grin. Despite the toddlers antics, Nick had actually talked to Elijah about this little plan, although despite the explanation Nick had given in response to the continuous 'whys' that had flowed from the small mouth, he hadn't told the almost four-year-old what he was going to say exactly.

"From the start, Little man, you had grabbed hold of my heart with both hands and to this day I'm glad you never let go." Nick blinked back a sheen of wetness that was starting to cover his eyes, "No matter what may happen between daddy and me, I want you to remember that I will always be your poppy. I love you so much." 

Greg's own eyes were again threatening to release the barrage of tears that he had been managing to keep at bay up until this point. He lifted a finger and traced the happy grin on their sons face, "Like poppy said, no matter what happens, we'll always be there for you. You have always been the best thing to ever happen to me and always will be. I love you too." 

Elijah all but flew into Greg's arms, "luv you." he whispered, wrapping his arm's tight around Greg's neck and burying his face against the warm skin of his fathers. 

Nick took the necklace holding the ring from Greg and urged Elijah to sit up. He slipped the chain, which was thick so as not be broken during rough play, around Elijah's neck and clasped it shut as he and Greg said together with a small cue from Nick, "With this token of our union, we commit to you." Nick pressed a kiss to Elijah's temple before the two men met eyes and simultaneously turned to the woman overseeing their commitment.

Judge Grenier's smile grew into a grin, and when the two men looked at her, said, "By the power vested in me by the state of Vermont, I hereby grant this union. You may kiss if you'd like." 

Greg and Nick looked at each other before casting bashful glances at their family, not used to kissing in front of them. They both shrugged and met in a kiss that for them was terribly chaste due to the small child nestled between them. They pulled apart after a few seconds as Elijah started giggling again.

"Well, that's it. I'll get the papers signed verifying your union and get you a copy of the certificate. Any questions?" The judge asked. 

They both shook their heads and when she turned to head to her office to take care of what she had to, the men turned to their family as they surrounded them with congratulations. 

-----

After dinner, their treat from Grissom in congratulations, the two 'newly weds' parted ways from their family. Elijah was spending the night with Grissom, much to the shock of the toddlers grandparents who figured he'd be joining one of them, to let the men have some alone time. As Nick let them into their hotel room, Greg found that he couldn't take his eyes off of his ring. He sat down on the bed they had claimed for themselves the night before and continued to stare at. It was getting to the point that Nick was starting to get concerned.

"Greg?" 

Greg looked up and smiled, "We're married." 

"Or the equivalent thereof, but yeah, we're married." Nick grinned as he answered. He sat down on the bed and cupped Greg's face in his hands, "Today has been...incredible. Love you." 

Greg rested his own hands on Nick's arms, "You too." He then leaned forward and caught Nick's mouth in a soft kiss. 

The kiss escalated and it wasn't long until they were scrambling to remove their clothes, both swearing at the buttons and clasps getting in the way. Greg pulled away from Nick and all but ripped his own shirt off, sending two of the buttons into the great beyond. He dropped it on the floor before going after Nick's, actually slowing down while removing the Texans shirt. As he released each button, he put his mouth to work kissing and licking the smooth skin as it was revealed. 

Tonight was going to be his night. Normally, Nick played the aggressor when it came to sex but Greg was feeling so elated by their actions that afternoon that he wasn't about to let Nick take over. Once he had the dress shirt on the floor and tangled with his, he set to work on the belt and slacks of the panting man beneath him. Once his _husband_ was naked, he began using his hands and mouth once again, working to urge the man to higher heights of arousal. 

One of the things the two men had done in preparation for their union was to have tests done so they could lose the condoms. It wasn't a concern on Greg's end, because of his extreme lack of sex life prior to Nick and his yearly physicals, but Nick wanted to be sure on his side of things. Now that they knew they both were negative, Greg didn't have to let up on his assault to take care of the proper protection. 

Instead, he pulled the bottle of lube from under the pillow, which he had stashed earlier, and began to apply it to Nick. He knew Nick loved it when he was on top, because with as little as he was in that position it made it seem like a rare treat. 

While he slowly slid home, Nick just breathed out and stretched his arms forward like a cat as he pushed back into Greg. Adjusting his grip on Nick's hips, he shifted his own and began to move. It wasn't long before they both felt the need to be attached at the mouth as well. The sensations seemed more intense without the condoms in place and it was pushing them along faster then they had thought it would. Nick used his greater strength to push Greg up and backwards so he was on his back with his head at the foot of the bed.

Nick swung around without dislodging himself and grinned down at Greg, taking up the pace. He leaned down and, resting his hands and forearms on the bed, he attached himself to Greg's mouth. Soon, Greg was slamming up his hips to meet Nick's in a desperate attempt to find release. He fell over the edge first with Nick following closely with a little help. 

Nick didn't dare move off of Greg until his husbands breath had returned to him, knowing he would be extra sensitive at the moment. Once Greg was able to take a few deep breaths, Nick shifted his hips and lifted up. He leaned in and kissed Greg before sitting back on his calves, "I'll go get a cloth." He said, running his fingers through the mess he had left on Greg's stomach and chest. 

"That's not a bad idea." Greg said, still gasping slightly, "I don't think I can move just yet." 

Nick gave a breathless laugh and climbed off the bed and onto his own wobbly legs. That round of love making had been more intense then usual, although whether it was from lack of protection or from their elated feelings of the day he couldn't be sure. 

After wiping himself down and then Greg, he pulled on a pair of boxers and put on a pot of coffee. He sat on the bed next to Greg's head and ran his fingers through the messy locks, "So what are we going to do for a ceremony when we get back to Vegas?"

Greg stretched and shifted his head so it was resting on Nick's lap, "Jacqui said she had wanted to come to the wedding, which got me thinking. Maybe we can have a small ceremony. Like exchange vows in front of our friends or something."

"Sammy said the same thing." Nick said, "We can do that. Did you find a place for the reception?" 

"Yeah. I had them put it on hold for the weekend after Eli's birthday. It'll be a little rough having two parties two weeks in a row, but..." 

"We could combine them. Mama and Cisco said they wanted to be there for the reception _and_ Eli's birthday, but weren't sure if they could do it." 

Greg bit his lip as he tried to work out the logistics for such a thing, "We could," He stretched the words out as he thought, "I mean, if the place is booked for next weekend, we can always find somewhere else." 

Nick looked down and met Greg's eyes, "Why next week? Why not hold off on Eli's party until the following weekend?"

Greg reached up and patted Nick's cheek, "Sure and you can explain to your son why you're putting off his birthday party."

"Next week it is."

TBC...

All right, I made a mistake and didn't realize it until long after I wrote this. While one test works for STD's, technically you're supposed to have six, one a month, for HIV. I, of course, didn't know this. And actually, I'm not sure if thats the correct number of times, but it is at least half a year before your pronounced 100 percent free I believe. Obviously, I couldn't change the story around to fit that in. Sorry. 

**There is also going to be another wait for the next few chapters.** There's something I'm dying to add, which means I have to write it up and then play with the remaining chapters/scenes. It wasn't something I had thought of when I finished this and started posting, so blame the bunnies. It's their fault.


	31. Chapter 30 April 2003

Sorry about the wait. I didn't intend for it to go this long. Explanation at bottom if you're curious.

Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock.

Oh, it's not beta'd either so if you see any mistakes I am so sorry. I'm sure there are some.

--

April

--

Nick sat on the bed, an amused smile on his face as he watched Elijah run around his room, trying to find the perfect clothes and pajamas to bring with him for his 'special birthday sleepover' at Grissom's that night.

He and Greg had been at a loss on what to do with Elijah, as they were planning on going to the reception hall they had found to start decorating for the joint parties they were having on Saturday. Their normal babysitters all had plans for the night, except Sammy who was meeting them at the hall.

Grissom had overheard them talking while at work only three nights prior and offered to take him, stating that he was sure his bug collection and books would keep the toddler entertained until it came time to join his parents at the hall. Both Nick and Greg felt as if they were imposing on their boss, but agreed that Elijah would certainly enjoy the time spent with the entomologist.

Nick cleared his throat and when that didn't work he reached out, grabbing the toddler as he ran past again, "Woah, little man."

Elijah stared over his shoulder at Nick, his brown eyes wide. His posture, despite Nick's grasp on his hips, was posed as if he were still running. Legs were bent with one foot extended forward and his arms were outstretched, fingers aimed at the drawers of his dresser, "poppy?"

Nick pulled him close, "I don't think you need to take four different outfits. Maybe just your pj's and your suit for the party. I'm sure Grissom will let you run around in your pajama's in the morning."

Elijah nodded, "okay poppy." He then looked around his room, "needs udder stuff dough. like stitch and harry. unca gil said he read 'fore bed."

"Cool. I'll get your suit from the laundry room and you can pack up the rest of your stuff in the suitcase. Do _not_ forget your earplugs." Nick said, pressing a kiss to the crown of Elijah's head before standing up, "Daddy and I will check to make sure you have them before you leave."

Nick smirked at the quiet 'rats' that Elijah muttered before leaving the room. He went to the laundry room and grabbed the clean suit off its hook. He took the back stairs down to the kitchen, where Greg was supposed to be preparing the birthday dinner Elijah had requested. As he stepped into the kitchen, though, he nearly turned around and walked back out because of what was going on on the other side of the island.

Greg was humming to himself what sounded a lot like a can-can. He held by its outstretched wings a plucked, headless chicken and was using his fingers to make it kick its stubby little legs in time with his song.

As his husband neared the end of the song, Nick started clapping before saying in a sarcastic tone of voice, "Is the chicken dinner or is it tonights entertainment?"

Greg, who was well on his way to starting a second verse, paused, one of the chicken's legs still up in a 'kick.' He turned slowly to look at Nick, a blush darkening his cheeks, "It depends on what the ham has chosen for its act." He deadpanned, the serious voice not giving away his embarrassment.

Nick stared at Greg for a moment, trying to figure out where the ham had come from, before giving a quick shake of his head, "Yeah. Anyway, once you're done with dinner theater, we should get Eli's presents out."

"Yeah okay." Greg gave the chicken a quick rinse in a seasoning wash and set it in the roaster. A quick glance at the cookbook for the temperature and time was done before setting the electronic clock of the cooker. Once that was accomplished, he followed Nick out into the garage, where they had stashed Elijah's birthday gifts.

There was a total of eight gifts for their son to open after dinner. They had found a sleeping bag that he could use that night while at Grissom's, a butterfly matching game, and a wicked children's microscope that would allow Elijah to see twelve bugs close up, hear facts about them and it could quiz him as well. They also got him a pick up sticks game, some I Spy books, and a 'my little helper' kitchen stool so he could help them in the kitchen, which could also be turned in to a variety of different things such as a playhouse, lemonade stand, or a puppet theater. The last and biggest gift was a miniature art supply cart that was filled to the brim with the various mediums the toddler liked to use.

They placed them on and around the kitchen table and Nick started setting their places at the island while Greg took care of the rest of dinner, which consisted of a cheesy potato dish and a side salad.

The chicken had just come out of the roaster when Elijah tromped into the kitchen, dragging his suitcase behind him on its little wheels, "i be hungry!" he stated, just before his eyes landed on the table, "oooh, dose for me?"

Greg raised an eyebrow and walked over to swing the toddler up into his arms, "Do you see any other birthday boy around here?"

Elijah shook his head before frowning, "why? birfday is in two," here, he very carefully unfolded two fingers and held them in front of Greg's face, "days! you be early."

"Hey Nick? Does it sound like someone is complaining to you?" Greg asked, looking over at the Texan with wide eyes.

Nick paused, the knife and fork he was using to cut the chicken poised to make their next incision, "Certainly sounds that way G. Maybe we should take the gifts back."

Before Greg had a chance to respond, Elijah started shaking his head wildly, "no, no, no, no. im not complainin! promus im not!"

Greg smirked and blew a raspberry on Elijah's neck before depositing the giggling boy on his booster seat. Nick dished out the food and took his seat at the island while Greg cut up the chicken for Elijah. He looked down at his own food and very carefully held back a grin as he said, "You know, G, I feel kinda funny eating this bird after that performance earlier."

"Then you'll feel real bad when you see what the ham's doing later." Greg threw back, not even bothering to look up at Nick. Nick flicked his fork to acknowledge the return before digging into his food.

--

Greg looked up at Nick and burrowed closer to the warm body he was tucked against, "Looks like everyone's having fun."

Nick looked around the hall and couldn't do anything but nod in agreement. Their guests totaled up in the forties and everyone seemed to be getting along. Even the kids had set up camp in the corner of the room and were playing various games that the older children were coming up with.

The cake's, one a tiered wedding cake and the other a sheet cake for Elijah, had been wheeled in an hour earlier and everyone had joined in for a rousing rendition of 'They Say It's Your Birthday' while Elijah blew out his four large candles. The Beatles song had been Greg, Sammy, and Lauren's idea, the three banding together and starting it before anyone had a chance to start the normal 'Happy Birthday' song.

They had then gone on to opening presents. Elijah had gone first, digging through his decent pile of gifts with squeals in the decibel range of a dog whistle. Once through them all, he promptly proclaimed Grissom's gift to be the best. The older man had gotten the toddler a 'lady bug cove' which went along with the promise of helping him with the miniature environment.

Nick and Greg went next. They had informed people on their invites that they weren't expecting gifts, but they had gotten some despite that. Thankfully, it wasn't in the way of household or 'bedroom' items, but rather gift certificates to various stores and restaurants. Those they didn't mind accepting. There were even a few cards that claimed donations had been made in their names to a few charities, something that appealed to them both.

Rayne walked up to them with Jan on her heals, both of them giggling over something. The two men exchanged slightly worried looks before turning their attention to the two women, "What's up mom?" Greg asked.

"Oh sweetie, Rayne and I were just talking about those summer barbecues your aunt and uncle used to put on, remember?" Jan asked, her brown eyes filled with mirth.

Greg suddenly knew where this was going, "Oh, mom no. I'm not even sure I remember how."

Rayne waved the hand not holding her drink, "Come on Greg. I'm sure it's like riding a bike."

Greg looked at the next table over where Lauren was chatting away happily with Sammy and Catherine, "Maybe she doesn't want to. She might not remember either."

"One way to find out." Rayne walked over to the table her daughter was sitting at and bent to whisper in her ear. Lauren sat up straight and stared at her mother before turning to look at Greg, who shrugged.

When the blond shrugged in return, Greg sighed and stood up, "Okay, lets do this." He kicked off his shoes, glad for the argyle socks he was wearing, which wouldn't provide friction on the bare dance floor. He took Lauren's arm and led her over to the DJ booth.

Nick looked at the two mothers, feeling far out of the loop, "What's going on?"

Jan started giggling again and patted her son-in-law on the arm, "You'll see Nick. Might want to get a good spot on the edge of the floor though."

Taking her advice, Nick walked to the edge of the wooden, makeshift dance floor. He was joined by Christopher, Lauren's husband, who was looking just as lost as he was. As the song playing cut out, Greg and Lauren shooed those dancing to the edge and took up position facing each other.

An up-tempo song started and if Nick was placing it right, it was a song that would have been popular as early as the nineteen thirties. He felt his jaw drop as Greg pulled Lauren into his arms with a twirl as the two started dancing to the song. It was a dance he had only heard mention of but had never seen performed. They were doing the Lindy Hop.

Greg flipped Lauren over his shoulders before turning around to pull her back into his arms. They slid, kicked and did minor gymnastics moves all in time to the beat of the song. There were a few instances were they just swung their hips to the heavy beat, usually when they were going back to their starting position after a particularly advanced move.

They spent over half the song alone on the dance floor, but were soon joined by a few other couples who knew the dance as well, although they did much tamer moves to the flips and tosses done by Greg and Lauren. The two soon separated, Lauren pulling Christopher onto the floor and Greg joining Nick on the sidelines.

The lab rat tossed back a cup of punch before leaning against Nick, "I forgot how tiring that is. It doesn't help that Lauren's four inches taller now then she was the last time we did that."

Nick was still gaping at his lover, "I can't believe you know how to do that G. That was amazing."

Greg chuckled, "Yeah, we were pretty good, weren't we."

"Wow, Greg. That was really impressive." Jillian said as she stepped up to their side. She slid her arms around him in a tight hug before smiling, "Are you all set to come down next week?"

Nick winced as Greg narrowed his eyes at him, "Ah, mama, I haven't told Greg yet."

Jillian's hands settled on her hips as she narrowed her eyes at her son, "Nick...don't you two talk?"

"Hey now, you only talked to me last night about it and I never did give you a definite answer." Nick replied. He curled his hand around Greg's bicep and started to pull him away, "I'll talk to him right now about it if it'll make you happy."

Greg looked over his shoulder at Jillian as Nick pulled him across the room. The eldest female Stokes was actually looking a bit worried about something, "Nick? Is everything okay?"

Nick let go of his arm and dropped down onto one of the chairs that sat along the far wall. He motioned for Greg to sit as well and blinked in surprise as the lab-rat sat on his lap. He shook his head slightly and wrapped his arms around Greg's waist, "Yeah, everything is fine. Mama wants us to go down to Texas for Easter. Maddy is back from Africa and mama wants us all there to see her before she takes off again."

Greg titled his head to the side in thought, "Well, Easter is the twentieth. We'd really only need to take two nights off of work. It could work."

--

Greg looked over the stand of egg color dyes, "Think we could still dye eggs with Eli? I was kind of looking forward to it this year."

Nick came up behind him and grabbed a couple of boxes, "Don't see why not. Mama will let us use the kitchen."

Greg gave his husband a large grin before motioning to the list clutched in Nick's free hand, "What else is left?"

"The ham, a few dairy things, hash browns and more candy."

Jillian's grocery list was fairly short, mainly forgotten items and things to be bought fresh, so they were really only at the store for about half an hour. Greg hadn't been thrilled about coming into town, but no one else could get away from their activities long enough to make the trip. He knew Thad was lurking around somewhere, but he couldn't see how Nick's ex could know that they were in Texas. He knew he was worrying over nothing, but telling himself that didn't help.

When they got back to the ranch, Nick cornered his mom, asking her if it would be okay for them to use the kitchen to dye eggs. Jillian agreed, mostly because she wanted more boiled eggs for the inside portion of the egg hunt the kids would be going on the next morning.

"I'll have everyone else put together the plastic eggs for outside and the Easter baskets." Jillian said, mentally going over everything that needed to be done.

Nick laughed, "That'll be fun. Ten baskets. Are they all going to be alike or are you putting name tags on them?"

"I have no idea. I'll probably do tags since a lot of the toys are age geared." Jillian smiled and patted Nick's arm, "Go, have fun. There are already some eggs boiled up and on the counter if you want to start with those."

"Thanks mama." Nick went to his room and poked his head through the door, "We're all set so whenever you're ready."

Greg looked up from the book he was reading out loud to Elijah and smiled, "Cool." He looked down at the auburn curls resting against his chest, "What do you say, sproglet? Want to color some Easter eggs?"

Elijah looked up at Greg before glancing at Nick, "color easter eggs?"

"Yup." Nick nodded and came all the way into the room. He sat down on the bed next to Greg's hip, "See, we color Easter eggs the night before Easter and then the Easter bunny visits and hides all the eggs for the kids to find. Some of them even have toys or treats inside. He also brings a basket for the kids."

Elijah nodded slowly, "miss jessie told us 'bout jesus and the res-resaction. no bunny dough."

"Resurrection." Greg corrected absently as he looked up at Nick with furrowed eyebrows. This wasn't a topic he had been hoping to talk about while Elijah was still so young. He also wasn't particularly thrilled that _Miss Jessie_ was talking about such themes to her day care charges. Not everyone was religious. Looking at Nick, he could see the Texan thinking the same thing.

"Ah, well, how about we tell you about the Easter bunny?" Nick suggested.

Elijah nodded again, this time much more quickly, "yeah!"

Nick gulped and glanced at Greg who shook his head, resigned. The younger man then turned his attention to his son, "The Easter bunny is a sign of renewal in the spring."

"renew-all?" Elijah asked, rolling the new word around on his tongue.

"It means start over." When Elijah nodded that he understood to the best of his ability, Greg continued, "The Easter bunny comes the night before Easter and hides the eggs that the children colored. The eggs represent the renewal as well and were colored to show that."

"the bunny?"

"Well, its because a bunnies nest looks so much like a birds nest that people once thought bunnies laid eggs. The Easter bunny thought this funny and took the colored eggs and hid them. Soon it became a yearly tradition."

It was simple and not quite truthful, but it was the best description Greg could come up with at the spur of the moment. Really, how else do you explain about fertility and other countries beliefs to a four-year-old without killing the magic of the holiday? Nick's sigh of relief was loud in his ear as Elijah laughed excitedly and scrambled off the bed, loudly proclaiming he was ready to color Easter eggs for the bunny.

Greg allowed Nick to pull him to his feet and hand in hand they followed the toddler down to the kitchen. Nick dropped Greg's hand and started digging around the kitchen, pulling out cups and spoons while Greg read over the instructions for the egg dyes and started to prepare them.

Elijah clasped his hands on the counter and pulled himself onto his tiptoes so he could see what his dad was doing. Nick saw the curious look in the brown eyes and promptly lifted Elijah so he had a better view of the preparations. Both men could tell he was dying to ask why Greg was dropping little colored pellets into water, but was holding himself back. He probably wasn't quite sure how to ask.

"When these little balls disappear, it'll help turn the water and vinegar into the color for the eggs." Greg said, reading the curious look with practiced ease.

"coool." Elijah breathed out, "can i do one?"

Greg nodded and handed the red pellet over, "What color is that sproglet?"

Elijah's little glare was worth a thousand words. He knew what his dad was doing, "red." He replied before dropping the little ball into the cup Greg indicated.

Greg frowned at Nick when the Texan hid an amused snort in his shoulder, "All right, no lessons." He said with a sigh, "Scoot over to the table sproglet."

"k, down poppy." Elijah said, squirming in Nick's grip.

Nick set Elijah on his feet and once the toddler was at the table and out of the way, he helped Greg carry the cups to the table. Both men went back into kitchen for the basket of boiled eggs and the cardboard egg cartons, to use as a place for the eggs to dry. They then sat down on either side of Elijah and arranged everything into a more convenient placement.

Nick looked at Greg who motioned for him to go ahead. He nodded and grabbed an egg, handing it to Elijah, "All right little man, here's what we do. We're going to very _carefully_ set the eggs in a cup of color. Best way to do that is to use the spoon and slide the egg down, like this." Making sure the four-year-old was watching closely, Nick followed up his words. He used the spoon and very carefully slid his own egg into the yellow dye that was in front of him.

"All right, Eli, your turn. What color do you want?" Greg asked.

Elijah gazed at the myriad of colors with wide eyes, "ooh, purple."

Nick, who was closer to the purple mug, slid it in front of Elijah. He helped steady the small hand that was lowering the spoon into the liquid and smiled when the bright brown eyes turned to look up at him as the egg settled smoothly at the bottom, "what we do next?"

"Well, we have to wait for the shell to change colors. It's gunna take a minute or two for it to happen. To check to see how dark the shell is, we just push the egg up out of the water with the spoon. The longer you leave it in, the darker its going to be so you can have a few of one color that don't look alike." Nick said, demonstrating with his yellow egg.

"coool." Elijah then realized that his dad was doing something totally different then what him and his poppy were doing, "daddy? why you drawin on egg?"

Greg winked and dropped the white crayon onto the table, "You'll see sproglet."

Elijah's eyebrows crinkled in confusion. Even he knew that white on white didn't do anything. He then shrugged when his dad dropped the egg into the blue dye. A minute later, after staring at his egg in the purple dye non-stop, he felt that his own egg was done. With Nick's help, he pushed the egg out and giggled, "its poka dotted, poppy."

Nick nodded, "That's cause of the bumps along the shell. You want it like this or darker?"

"like dis. its purty."

"Okay. I'll set it in the container to dry and you can put another egg in one of the dyes."

Elijah carefully picked an egg from the basket and looked down at it before looking up at Greg, "why you draw on yours?" He still couldn't figure it out.

Greg decided to take pity on his son. He lifted his egg out of the blue dye and picked it up off of the spoon carefully. He turned the egg around and Elijah gasped. There, standing out strikingly against the medium hued blue, was Elijah's name in white.

--

The one thing Jillian insisted on for hunting real eggs in the house was a count of the completed eggs. She was adamant that she didn't want to miss even a one and end up smelling rotting egg sometime in the future. Every time one of the kids found an egg to add to the basket in the kitchen, a check mark was placed on the sheet that Nick had written the final count on. Jillian and Bill had also written up a list that told of each place they had hidden an egg. They weren't going to take any chances.

There were ten children, including Elijah, hunting for the eggs and so the two men had decided to do five for each making for a total of fifty eggs. There was, of course, no guarantee on how many eggs each child would find but they wanted to at least start off fair. Each child had an egg with their name written on it, however, and if one found the egg for someone else they left it for that child to find. The adults were suitably impressed with the thinking.

Elijah, Trixie, and Maddox didn't know the ranch as well as the other children but one wouldn't know it from the way they tore through the home. Maddox found his five eggs just behind Liam's oldest boy, Jeremy, and the two of them took to helping the two youngest. Elijah and Trixie, consequently, finished next thanks to looking in the places suggested by their helpers. When the other kids couldn't think of anymore hiding places on their own, all ten banded together to find the last three that were missing.

Baskets were hidden indoors as well and the procedure for finding those was much the same as it was for the labeled eggs. They were also hidden a bit more securely than the eggs. Jillian used bedrooms, bathrooms and closets for those. When a basket was found, it was unwillingly passed to a respective parent before the child resumed the egg hunt.

Once the inside hunt was completed, Jillian had brunch ready. Most of the kids were complaining of hunger, with a few of the adults echoing the sentiments. Afterwards, they took up the hunt outside, this time the younger Stokes adults (and Greg) joining in to help. The plastic eggs held goodies that appealed to everyone. Chocolates, from mini eggs to coins, small toys and money were all enclosed in the plastic. The children held off on opening their eggs until their buckets were full, but the adults popped theirs right away. Any money and toys they found were closed up and slid into the closest child's bucket but any chocolate was kept and horded happily.

Greg was packing up his and Nick's clothes when Nick's cell went off. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he looked at Nick with a raised eyebrow, "Who would be calling at seven at night on _Easter_?"

Nick flipped his phone open and glanced at the caller ID, "Sara." He then shrugged as Greg's eyebrows shot up. He hit the answer button and held the phone to his ear, "You better not be calling about a problem, cause there ain't crap I can do about it down here."

/Nick, it's seven. I'm not even ready for work yet. I called to see how Eli's Easter was./

"It was good. How about I let him tell you about it?" Nick smirked. Elijah still had his rapid baby talk at times, which tended to pick up speed when he was excited about something.

/That sounds cool. Could you put him on?/

"Sure, let me go get him." He covered the mouth piece and said, "Sara wants to talk to Eli." in response to Greg's noticeably growing confusion.

"Ah, he should still be out in the playroom."

Both men walked into the large room and called the toddler over. Nick held the phone out to Elijah, "It's Aunt Sara."

Elijah snatched the phone out of Nick's hands and held it to his ear. Without thought he launched into talking, "guess what! I gots to dec-rate eggies and we lookted for dem dis mornin and i gots a basket wit' toys and candy and der were eggies outside too! Dos had lots of stuffs in dem, like choc-o-late and coins and and daddy and poppy lookted too but daddy didn't share his choc-o-late..."

Greg leaned against Nick as an arm slipped over his shoulder, "I'm feeling kinda bad for Sara right now."

Nick shrugged, his amusement noticeable in his answer, "She asked for it, really. She's been subjected to the prattle before so it's not as if she didn't know better."

Greg craned his head around so he was looking at Nick, "Wanna bet Catherine will be the next to call?"

"No go, man. I'm sorta surprised she didn't call earlier though."

"She had an Easter to get through too."

After Catherine's call an hour later, which was accompanied by Nick's mutterings that he was glad he didn't take Greg up on his bet, Elijah was tucked away into bed and the two men decided to relax out on the patio, as it was still beautiful outside temperature wise. Nick detoured for the coffee Jillian had set on the island for them before joining Greg on the far end of the patio, the section that was off of the family room, past the kitchen. That end of the patio had a fireplace and it was far enough from his parents room that the light wouldn't bother them if they went to bed before he and Greg went inside.

"You know, today was surprisingly fun despite it being hectic." Greg said after he took a sip of his coffee.

Nick looked down at the lab-rat, who was leaning against him, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I've never really had an Easter. Not really anyway. We had a big dinner and my dad took us to church, but with it being just me neither of them thought much into the whole egg and basket deal."

"Could've fooled me. You were an expert when it came to the whole dye thing for the eggs."

Greg laughed, "I read the instructions Nick. Why do you think I had you tell Elijah what to do? I was learning too."

Nick rubbed Greg's head, ignoring the squawk of indignation over him messing up Greg's spikes, "You're sneaky, you know that?" He reached forward and set his coffee on the table before doing the same with Greg's. He then stood up and pulled Greg to his feet, "Come on."

Greg gave him a half smile as he stood, "You're not dragging me horseback riding are you? Cause I gotta tell you, I am so not dressed for it." He motioned down to his khakis and stripped dress shirt.

"Nope."

"We're not doing anything that requires nakedness either. We're at your parents house, Nick."

Nick grinned and pulled Greg into a scorching kiss, that had the lab-rats toes curling in his shoes. He was getting into the kiss and was just rethinking his position on the whole nakedness thing when he was suddenly wrenched from Nick's arms.

"Well well, fancy meeting you two here."

Greg stiffened at the voice, recognizing it easily as Thad's. It figured.

--

TBC...

Gah, I hope this was worth the wait. I didn't mean in anyway for it to go this long between posting, but I'm moving in July so I picked up more hours at work...not to mention the 4th was my birthday. I was gunna post that day as a birthday present to myself but...best laid plans and all that. Again, I really hope you liked it.

Oh, and the mention of Jesus and the resurrection is probably about as far as I'm taking religious mentions, well other than Greg's dad and church. Not everyone believes the same thing about that sort of thing and I don't want to have to worry about offending anybody.


	32. Chapter 31 April May and Epilogue 2003

**WARNING/NOTE! PLEASE READ!**

A/N: _**First things first, I did something a tad different for this chapter. **_It's not a continuation of the last one. It gets solved, just not specifically nor in the way you all are expecting. I'm really sorry about that, but I was having such a hard time even starting that scene that it would have just floundered forever and none of you would have gotten a conclusion.

Second, I really, really, really want to apologize for the delay on this sucker. First it was the three months of working overtime and getting ready for my friends wedding all while packing. I'm now in New York, just outside of Rochester (which is quite the move. 16 hours of driving. Euch.) I still don't have the internet on my computer even though it has been three and a half weeks, but my cousin allows me to use hers for that purpose so….

Onwards…

--

Greg hummed to himself as he ran another batch of evidence through CODIS. He grinned to himself as he caught sight of the ring out of his peripheral vision. Already a month had passed, but just seeing the wedding band caused him to go all gooey inside. Life was good at the moment, but he couldn't stop the niggling voice at the back of his head warning him that something was just around the corner. Good or bad he wasn't sure, but the feeling was insistent.

He knew it had nothing to do with Thad who, outside of Elijah's mother, had been one of the reasons for a lot of his worrying lately.

When he and Nick were 'ambushed' by the man while at the ranch over Easter, things had gotten out of hand quickly. Thad had been in no way afraid to use the knife he had been carrying and after announcing his presence, he had been quick to use it.

Greg still carried a scar across his shoulder from it and Nick had one along his stomach from when he had tried to pull Greg away from the angry man. It was around that time that Bill and Jillian had heard the commotion and called the police.

Thad was now in jail for a minimum of two years along with a fine of five thousand dollars, for both breaking the suits against him as well as intentionally harming a police office. Nick may not have been one officially any longer, but he still carried a badge as a CSI.

Shaking his head to ward of the gloomy thoughts, he thought back to the weekend before, which had been the one month mark of their wedding. He hadn't thought much of it, but Nick said that they were actually celebrating their year anniversary, not the month that had passed since the ceremony. Of course, it was the Texan who had put together the romantic evening.

Elijah had gone to stay with Catherine, Warrick and Lindsey for the night, because Nick's plans would surely be interrupted by the hyper red-head. Especially since Nick had opened the pool to pull it off. He then placed a large amount of floating candle on the water before treating Greg to a picnic at the edge of the pool.

With just the candles illuminating them, it had been a very sensual night. After eating, they had swum among the candles, coming together in the water after only a few moments. When they had left the pool after a heated make out session, Nick had given Greg a deep massage. Thanks to not having any close neighbors and a really high privacy fence, they were able to make love right there at the poolside in the light of the candles.

It had certainly been an unforgettable night, and after their first round of lovemaking, Nick had given Greg what the lab rat considered to be the best gift he had ever received. A scrapbook of their year together.

Nick had spent a considerable amount of time on the phone with his sister Aly, who helped him put the book together. The pictures started from Elijah's third birthday and went on through the reception. Again, much like he had felt months earlier when Jillian showed him the pictures Nick had sent, he wondered when Nick had taken some of them or how he had gotten his hands on them.

There was the picture of him dancing with Lauren followed by another of him dancing with Elijah at the reception. He had requested that the DJ play his and Eli's Beach Boys song and the two of them had been the only ones on the floor, whether due to Nick's or his mother's intervention he was never sure. Both were surprisingly tight lipped about that.

He was jarred from his thoughts as a weird noise came from the fume hood but before he even had the chance to look at it, the CODIS beeped to let him know his results were finished. While he was turning towards it, a loud explosion rocked the lab.

Before he knew it, he was lying on the floor of the hallway, his back in so much pain that it was quickly starting to go numb. Greg tried to push himself up onto his arms, but the pain was too much and a gasp passed his lips before his arms gave out below him.

He was still conscious when the EMT's placed him on the gurney and started rolling him out. The sounds around him were garbled, but he caught various phrases muttered by those surrounding him, "_Vitals are stable. We've got full thickness burns on the neck and bac_k."

Greg closed his eyes briefly, not taking in what he had heard but knowing the words were bad, before opening them back up. His blurry gaze fell on his lab and what he saw rocked him to the core. The damage was intense and the fire was still smoldering in some places. He couldn't find it in himself to believe that he had been in that room when it happened. He took one last look at what had been his home away from home before they passed the doors exiting the building.

He once again closed his eyes as the sunlight hit his face and kept them closed as they loaded him into the ambulance. He fell asleep on the way to the hospital, his last thought of Elijah and Nick.

--

Greg sighed and let his eyes drift shut as Catherine and Warrick left. That whole conversation was tiring on so many different levels. He couldn't figure out what had happened. He wasn't that careless about lab equipment and processes. He knew what could happen. Amending that, he now knew _first hand_ what could happen if things weren't done properly.

He still hadn't seen Nick and Elijah, but he had talked to them on the phone while still in the burn ward. Now, though, he was in a private room and his skin grafts were in place. He missed his loves and wanted to see them in person. A phone conversation just wasn't all that fulfilling.

A soft tapping at the door had him opening his eyes slightly to see who was bothering him now. Nick stood there with a soft, but worried smile on his face. Elijah was gripping one of his hands tightly while his other held a bouquet of lilies. When he saw that Greg was awake, he urged Elijah into the room.

"How you doin' G?"

Greg managed a shrug carefully, "They've got me jacked up on so many pain killers that all I really feel is the itch of the gauze." He looked at his son, "Hey sproglet."

"hi daddy." Elijah whispered and tugged his hand free of Nick's and walked to the edge of the bed. His face was just flush with the mattress and he had to rise on his tip toes to look his father straight on in the face, "you really okay?"

"I'll be doing even better if a certain someone could maybe give me an Eskimo kiss. I miss them terribly." Greg replied, putting his doe eyes into effect.

"i can do that." Elijah took in his father's position on the bed and even his young mind realized that it wouldn't be good for Greg to move. He looked over his shoulder, "poppy?"

Nick took the hint and set the vase of lilies down on Greg's nightstand before sliding his hands under Elijah's arms. He lifted the toddler up just enough so that noses could be met in a gentle rub. Once taken care of and Greg was smiling, the Texan sat Elijah on the edge of the bed. The little red head carefully took his fathers hand in his and held on tight.

Greg looked at Nick and frowned when he saw the cut over Nick's eyebrow and the bruise on the opposite cheekbone, "Were you there?"

Nick nodded, "I was in the A/V lab with Archie."

"How bad..."

Nick looked out the window, "Your lab is gone, Greg. They're only in the process of cleaning up right now. It will be awhile before you're able to go back in there."

"That's not what I was asking Stokes." Greg said, his eyes narrowing, "How badly were you hurt?"

"The cut you see is the worst."

"That's good." Greg rubbed his thumb along the back of Elijah's hand, "Who else was hurt?"

Nick shrugged and sat down on the chair, "All of the techs have some minor cuts and abrasions. Sara got a nasty gash on her hand that needed fifteen stitches."

Greg crinkled his eyebrows in confusion, "Sara?"

"She was in the hallway just outside the DNA lab. She caught a shard of glass in her hand when she was thrown off her feet."

"Jesus." Greg hissed.

Nick nodded and leaned forward to press a kiss to Greg's mouth, "I think the important thing is that you're okay. You have no idea how thankful I am that you're going to be okay."

Greg returned the soft kiss before looking at Elijah, "I think I do."

* * *

**Epilogue**

* * *

Greg's hand tightened on the railing as he made his way slowly into the basement. Nick had warned him before the leaving the house the night before not to do anything strenuous in case of causing himself pain, but Rayne was there to help watch Elijah and he was _bored_. After four nights of inactivity following the week in the hospital, he needed _something_ to do. Although why he chose the basement to alleviate his boredom was still beyond him.

Still, when he found himself at the bottom of the stairs his attention was drawn to a box sitting the furthest back by the furnace. He made his way through the hodge podge of boxes until he came to a stand still over the one that seemed to call to him. With his hand on a chair for help and leverage, he carefully lowered himself to his knees.

Flipping open the cardboard flaps, he stared at the box's contents. It was the very first one that had ended up down here after his aunt and uncles death. He reached in and lifted out a picture frame that was face down on top of the pile. Greg held his breath before slowly turning it over. He remembered what was shown on the other side.

Despite being dusty, the picture did not show any signs of wear for the three years it had been down here. It wasn't a professional portrait by any means, but his aunt and uncle were posed on one of their couches with a younger version of himself giving the camera a cocky grin. It had been taken the day he graduated from elementary school if the cap and gown he was wearing was any indication.

He ran a finger along the sweep of his Aunt Sabine's long, blond hair and then looked at his uncle. The red hair and a light dusting of freckles brought back words spoken months ago by Vivian Stanfield, Blythe's mother, _"Good coloring. Looks like his mother." _But now that he had a picture of his uncle in front of him, he realized that Mrs. Stanfield had been wrong. Elijah looked a lot like his uncle, but much smaller.

Words came to him for the first time since their death and he felt the need to voice them out loud, "It's been an amazing few years." He muttered, smiling at the grin on his aunt's face.

"You have a great-nephew now. I know you always worried about me not having kids, what with my geekiness and mom's tendency to over-shelter me, but I have a wonderful son now and who knows? Nick and I may have more kids someday.

"You would have loved Nick. He is just like you were, Uncle Rick. Maybe that's where my attraction for him started. I always looked up to you and I picked out the same characteristics that I cherished of yours in him as well."

Greg sighed and his eyes misted, "Everyone misses you, but you know? If it weren't for your passing I probably wouldn't have moved here to Vegas and met Nick. I know it's not something to be happy about, you dying I mean, but...it gave me the man of my dreams. Which is probably the only good thing to come of your passing." Smiling once more at the happy couple, he closed up the box but left the picture resting on the chair. It was going back on the mantel in the family room where it belonged.

With the same carefulness he had used to lower himself, Greg rose to his feet. He had just picked up the picture when a slam echoed from above and heavy footsteps stopped at the basement door before starting down. Frowning at the commotion, he started towards the stairs just as Nick came into view, "What's with all that noise?"

The question that seemed to come from nowhere and Nick faltered on the third step from the bottom, his hands tightening on the railing as he regained his lost balance. He gave his husband a brilliant grin before it faded into the look of exasperated concern he had been wearing the past few days when he found Greg doing something he shouldn't be, "What are you doing down here?"

Greg flipped his hand to indicate a shrug and showed Nick the frame he was holding, "I got bored and felt like coming down here. Why are you ignoring _my_ question?"

Nick's grin grew once again as Greg finished speaking. He waved a manila envelope in the air and took the last few steps down to the cement floor, "The noise was me. I slammed the garage door."

"_Why_?" Greg asked, his over active imagination conjuring the image of the wooden door hanging on one hinge due to Nick's strength.

Nick once again waved the envelope, this time in Greg's face and with a bit more exuberance, "Because of this."

Greg swore at the gauze and tape on his back as he bent his free arm at the elbow to reach the envelope. When he realized his arm wasn't going to go that high, he let out an annoyed sigh, "Will you just tell me what it is?"

A light flush rose up on Nick's neck when he noticed his mistake, "Right, sorry. It's the papers from the court house."

Greg's eyebrows creased briefly before smoothing out and rising as realization set it, "Are you serious? Have you opened it yet?"

"No." Nick untied the short string holding the flap closed and then took a deep breath as he met Greg's eager gaze, "Here goes..."

Nick slid his fingers into the light brown envelope and grasped the paper inside. He pulled it out slowly and Greg sucked in a breath in anticipation. He was slightly fearful of just what that paper said. His anxiety only grew as Nick stared at the sheet while letting the envelope drift to the floor.

"Well?" He asked, bouncing forward on his toes slightly.

Nick looked up at him with wide eyes, "It..."

"Nick? You okay? What the hell does it say?"

Nick shook his head, words apparently lost. He handed the paper to Greg who eagerly turned it to read. What was written there nearly caused him to drop the paper in shock. Their petition had been approved. Nick was legally Elijah's father.

"daddy? poppy?"

Both men looked up the stairs at the sleepy toddler standing on the landing, who was rubbing his eyes with a closed fist. Nick grinned and bounded up the stairs to swing Elijah up into his arms. He pressed a barrage of kissed to the small face until Greg had managed to make it up the stairs.

A giggling Elijah turned to Greg, his confusion noticeable through his mirth, "what go on?"

Greg looked at Nick, wondering if the love and happiness he felt was as obvious as Nick's, "Nick is really your other father now."

Elijah gave him a disgusted look as he wrapped his arms around Nick's neck, "i knows dat daddy. he be my poppy."

Greg just laughed and buried himself carefully under Nick's free arm. For the first time in a long time, he felt truly content. He would have to thank his aunt and uncle again for the gift that had been given to him upon their death. As he ran his fingers lightly down Elijah's hand, he couldn't help feeling that he would be thanking them for a _very_ long time to come.

**The End.**


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